


Real Life Vocaloid

by Jacque_le_Prince



Category: No Fandom, Original Work
Genre: Asexual Character, Biracial Character, Black Character(s), Chinese Character, Deaf Character, F/F, Female Characters, Female Friendship, Female Protagonist, Female-Centric, Gen, Indonesian Character, Inspired by Music, Korean-American Character, LGBTQ Female Character of Color, Lesbian Character of Color, Magical Girls, Malaysian Character, Music, Musical References, Trans Female Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-01
Updated: 2017-12-26
Packaged: 2018-02-07 00:21:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 37,073
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1878009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jacque_le_Prince/pseuds/Jacque_le_Prince
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Music is our greatest influence known to man. It depicts emotions that can't be expressed anyway else, but does its power go any farther than that? Selected by destiny, Vocaloids are given the power of music to save the music notes, but most don't receive just that one goal. Conspiracy and tension is all it takes to start a war. Only hope can possible end it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Now I know what you're thinking: How can you WRITE a music-themed story in words? Well for one, I write lyrics in the same format as people do when they quote lyrics in essays and other prose. Secondly, I'll be using a lot of imagery and sensory details to properly depict it all. Also, some music artists in here are real people, to which I'll reference to at the end of each chapter.
> 
> On top of that, this is also a Magical Girl/Mahou Shojo story. So if you're familiar with that, this may be fun for you.
> 
> Also, this takes place in a Euro-Asian suburban area in America.

Do you see that girl on her knees scrubbing the floor? The one with the long black silky hair and auburn-colored skin? The one with slanted eyes and a rounded nose? The one with minute muscles developed from years of housework?

You could probably assume she's not very happy where she is now. Getting her soft hands dirty with an old wet sponge, her shins falling asleep beneath her on the tile floor. Why couldn't her father just buy a stupid mop, she wondered, then again, she would still be the only one to use it.

As always, the radio lazily droned in the back. Whatever stale commercial or heated political debate that spewed out of those speakers never peaked her interest.

Today was different.

" _It's a Saturday night_

_Nothing while go wrong_

_But if it does, do I care?_

_I just don't know how to run_ …"

The girl's ears perked at the sound of the man's voice.

" _It's a Saturday night_ "

She slowed down her scrubbing.

" _And I hope you believe_ "

She hummed to the music, preparing her voice.

" _My heart is calling your name_."

She parted her lips—

"Don't even think about it, Prim."

She nearly choked on the unspoken words at the interruption. In the doorway was the scrutinizing figure of her elder brother. He bore the same slanted eyes that she did, only much more narrow, and the same black hair. However, his skin was porcelain white.

The girl scoffed "What are you talking about, Taiki?"

"You were about to start singing," said the man as he walked over to the refrigerator, turning off the radio along the way "You come in here to clean, not to make an idiot out of yourself."

At that moment, the second elder brother waltzed in "Besides that Basshunter guy is gay as hell." Just like the other male, he had almond eyes and white skin, but he also had sandy hair and there was a more evident golden undertone in his skin.

Their little sister only scowled in silence.

"Tsuna, you seem to describe a lot of men as "gay as hell"," said Taiki, grabbing a bottle of water from the refrigerator.

"Only when it's right," laughed the haughty brunette, taking a seat at the table right in front of Primrose. He looked down at her and pointed at the floor "Missed a spot."

* * *

Her name was Primrose Aoi. She was just a two month old Malaysian baby when her mother wed the Japanese man, who had two toddlers of his own at home. The five were a decent family until the woman of the house went to a higher place. Primrose was but only three years old when it happened. Thankfully, the girl was too young to understand the depth of the situation and was given the time to grow an acceptance to it as she aged. Also, in those three years, the mother had filled her daughter's life with music. Melodies created beautiful imagery in the child's dreams whenever she slept. The world was a giant orchestra to the girl, and the girl, even as a sixteen year old, still seeks to be the conductor.

* * *

"Kyouko! Did you get my email of the new Hatsune Miku song?"

"Yes, it was amazing!"

"You guys like Hatsune Miku, too?"

"Yeah!"

Brianna groaned as she overheard the girls' conversation. She really couldn't stand girls like that. Their obnoxious way of expressing their ridiculous infatuation for the most trivial of things, how their chipper attitudes bordered air-headedness, their smothering femininity. It was every turnoff Brianna could think of. Unfortunately for her, her school consisted mainly of these type of girls. If it were just a few girls that were like this amongst an overall diverse student body, Brianna would have no problem with it. But the high concentration of hyper femininity was almost as suffocating as the scent of makeup and perfume filling the hallways.

"Blake!" greeted the red-haired girl as the brunette entered the room.

"Hey Brianna," he said, smiling warmly at his girlfriend.

The teacher walked into the class soon after "Good morning class, everyone take a seat."

Just as Blake had reached his girlfriend, he had reluctantly left her side to attend his seat at the front of the classroom. As everyone else shifted into their uniformed seats, the teacher was able to take attendance. Halfway through, there was a silence.

"Primrose Aoi," the teacher repeated.

More silence.

"Did any of you all see Primrose today?" asked the teacher.

Before anyone could even answer, the door opened with none other than the Malaysian girl, herself, entering. However, she waltzed in too confidently and tripped over Blake's bag, to which the class laughed with the exception of a few concerned "Is she alright?" comments.

Prim groaned as she got up "I'm fine," she said, trying to pull a smile. However, it was difficult since she did feel pangs of pain from the impact and the burning humiliation in her cheeks.

Blake shied his face away, feeling slight second-hand embarrassment. Brianna stared with deadpan eyes.

Out of all the girls in the school, she disliked Primrose the most. Although the two have never spoken, Brianna was able to make her own conclusions of the girl. She noted that Primrose held just as overly feminine taste as the other girls, but never actually interacted with them. In fact, she never interacted with anyone unless spoken to first. And in those few moments when Primrose spoke, Brianna could see her true colors.

" _She thinks she's too good to talk to anyone,_ " she thought whenever she saw Primrose " _She could so easily make friends with anyone here with that Barbie doll style, but she puts on this posh attitude instead. So pretentious._ " However, Brianna wasn't one to make enemies out of nuisances, so she busied herself.

Brianna looked to the teacher explaining the lesson. Math wasn't her best nor favorite subject, but she knew it wasn't wise to not pay attention.

The teacher was interrupted for the second time that morning by a subtle clank sound. The woman frowned up "Miss Aoi, if you can't keep up with your obnoxious technology, then leave it at home."

The class had no initial reaction. No one really felt it was fair how easily annoyed Mrs. Dolan could get. Just having a personal belonging drop to the floor was enough to steer her away from the topic and single out the culprit.

Brianna glanced in Primrose's direction, nonetheless, and was surprised by what she saw it was that made contact with the floor: a pair of butterfly headphones. Even though they were completely white, she could see the edging of the monarch butterfly wings sticking out from the circular speakers.

Her eyes raised up to Primrose, who, for some reason odd to her, looked more shocked than expected. Eventually, Prim carefully picked up the headphones as Mrs. Dolan continued to talk and put them away in her bag.

" _What was that all about?_ " thought Brianna. She then shook her head and looked away as a way of telling herself not to get involved in the issue.

* * *

_It's been an entire twenty-four hours and she still shows no sign of gaining a musical identity. I know I must be patient, but she needs to metamorphose soon. It's her destiny. Nothing should prolong destiny, not even herself._

* * *

"Hey Prim! Your weird friend is here!"

A bespectacled Hawaiian girl with the ponytail on the porch punched Tsuna in the arm, causing him to flinch "Damn, you're too strong for a shorty," he then turned back to the inside of the house "Prim! What's taking so long?!"

"I'm coming!" said a distant voice.

After another few seconds, footsteps finally drew nearer as the sister arrived to the door, Tsuna giving her a playful push as she stepped outside.

"Hi Kylie," she greeted.

"Hey Prim," the shorter girl returned the greeting "Did you get my texts?"

"Text _s_?" repeated Primrose, emphasizing the "s" as she acknowledged she had missed several.

They departed from the porch and continued their conversation "Yeah," said Kylie "About that new artist I found over the weekend."

Primrose felt it was only fair to pull out her cell phone now to read the texts, but brought her hand to an empty pocket "I forgot my phone..."

"That's alright, I could show you this guy's website."

Kylie then pulled out her cell phone and opened a webpage. It had a basic black design with the few splashes of color being the blue and yellow words. Most of the webpage was just that, words. Primrose couldn't help but notice the lack of advertisements crowding the page.

"Name's Digital Pirate," said Kylie.

Primrose's eyes continued to scan the page "That's pretty bold for a music artist to put "pirate" in his name."

"If you think that's bold, wait until you see this," upon saying that, Kylie scrolled to a link and clicked it. It only took seconds for the page to load. Primrose's eyebrows scrunched up upon seeing that page was loaded with a block of text. She subtly glanced over at Kylie to see if she planned on summarizing it all.

She wasn't.

Primrose took steady hold of the phone and noticed the block of text was under the blue title "The Growth of Musical Pollution" The title gave her no inclination and she pressed on to read the rest.

" _My name is Dexter Digin, a simple underground music artist, but definitely not the only one. Usually underground artists are forced to go unrecognized because mainstream artists absorb all of the fame and attention. Other times, they choose to avoid fame to keep the media from corrupting them with Musical Pollution. Today's mainstream music is only about sex, parties, drinking and other ridiculous themes. The media's taken away from the deep, meaningful lyrics and actual good qualities music used to have. Nowadays, music artists are only making this trash for the money; Musical Pollution. My goal is to put an end to this and to bring back real music. Hell, even if we have to have destroy the music industry altogether, I'll make sure we make this happen. So please help me in my goal to clean the world of Musical Pollution._ "

Still, Prim didn't gain an exact bias based on the man's powerful words. She didn't agree with him, yet she also didn't disagree. She just took in the words as they were; one man's view of music. She just hoped Kylie wouldn't ask for her opinion on this speech.

"It's true, isn't it though?" Kylie asked.

A better question, Primrose supposed "Sure," she shrugged. Suddenly, she was offered an earbud. Kylie wore the other one with her thumb hovering over a play button.

The two girls sat on the curb, looking out to the lazy neighborhood as the music flowed into their ears. Neither ever enjoyed the feeling of only having one ear experiencing sound, but have gotten used to sharing earbuds to watch videos.

Primrose could feel Kylie bob and bounce to the rhythm of the music and wave her fingers in a piano-playing motion to fit with the beat. It always reminded her of how her mother used to move awkwardly to music in an attempt to dance. As silly as it looked in both females to Primrose, she always enjoyed their ability to freely express the rhythm traveling through their body.

The older girl rustled in her concrete seat in discomfort. The music flowing into her ears was a laid back techno beat with a melody that didn't quite fit into place to her. She kept waiting for the lyrics to kick in only to realize they weren't coming. As always, her mind pieced together an image derived from the music. A brown hue formed. Soon after, a thin blue line and a thin orange line crossed over as if a plaid pattern were about to form. Primrose waited for more imagery to form, at least a person or an object, but that was it.

" _It's like he's not even trying_ ," Primrose thought uncomfortably " _His Musical Pollution speech had more zeal than this_."

The next song to play was very similar, but it did have vocals. Unfortunately they were even more drawn out and weary. It was almost as if it were for humor instead of actual melody. Nonetheless, she still felt Kylie bobbing beside her.

There were four more songs left.

* * *

"Hey Prim," said Kylie "I'm signed into the Digital Pirate club. There's only eight of us—"

Primrose already knew what was coming at that point. There were several reasons in her mind to say yes. One: Kylie was completely enamored by Digital Pirate. Two: Primrose rarely got to see Kylie nowadays. Three: Primrose needed a solid excuse to get out of the house and escape being the maid of the family. What was the one reason to say no? She didn't like Digital Pirate.

That didn't mean Kylie had to know.

"I'll sign up tonight," said Primrose.

Even after all these years, she still wasn't prepared for the tight bear hug later received, nor the ten million thank you's followed by incomprehensible gibberish of joy.

"It's getting dark out. We should get home," Kylie said after regaining herself.

"Okay, see ya," said Primrose as she stood and began to head home.

"Later!" she heard as Kylie did the same.

The sky was turning a cloudless purple color as the sun began to set on the far side of the neighborhood. With all the trees and tall houses, Primrose was more so hidden in the darker shades of the sky.

"Prim?"

The girl gasped as a small robotic figure tugged on her ankle. It was a pink Beats Pill, just like those in the commercials that walked and talked. The voice of a black woman with an English accent escaped from the speakers as it spoke.

"I sensed that you were in musical distress."

"Rhythm, what are you doing out here?!" the girl whispered "Someone could see you!" she darted her head in several directions to look for possible witnesses peering through their windows.

"Prim, putting yourself in situations where you're in musical distress can drain away your powers," warned Rhythm.

Primrose continued walking "I thought you said I didn't have powers yet."

"You misunderstood me," said the Pill as it followed her "You were given these powers, but you don't have the musical identity to fully birth them."

Primrose rubbed her head, since when did so many phrases start with "musical"?

"Well I can't "birth my powers" since you can't tell me how," she said.

"I told you moderators like me can't supply you with that answer," said Rhythm "Every Vocaloid has their own experience metamorphosing that can't be pre-determined. This is up to you to figure out yourself."

"Geez…" Primrose muttered as she approached her house. Once she stopped and looked back, she found the Pill had vanished. " _She probably teleported to my room or something. No way this conversation is over._ "

She continued up the to the house and pulled out the house key that was often hooked onto her belt loop.

Primrose stepped to a house of the same sounds: monotonous radio, monotonous TV, and obnoxious Tsuna.

She decided to stick to her word while she had the energy left and went downstairs to the office, where the family computer was.

Upon setting herself at the desktop, she heard an "And just what are you doing?"

Primrose hadn't even seen her father sitting at the desk adjacent to the wall she sat at.

Despite the suspicious tone, she had no reason to feel intimidated "Joining a music club with Kylie," she answered honestly.

As she opened the internet and searched for the website again, her father asked "What kind of music club is it?"

"Somewhat of an online fan club of this music artist, Digital Pirate," said Primrose, now looking through the sign up options "The bulk of everything is done online because it's more efficient but they meet in real life every now and then to attend concerts."

"So you and Kylie plan on  _going_  to these concerts?" asked the father.

"If everyone's okay with it, sure," said Primrose, typing the information needed to create an account.

Her father knew by "everyone", she meant both him and Kylie's parents.

"We'll see," he said.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Digital Pirate is a fictional music artist.  
> Basshunter- "In Her Eyes"


	2. Chapter 2

The past two weeks in the city of Melancholy have been rather quiet.

Primrose and Kylie kept in touch online through the Digital Pirate forums whenever Primrose, herself, found it most convenient. "Convenient" would often mean whenever her father wasn't home to make a housemaid out of her.

The conversations on the forums weren't that igniting. Kylie was indeed correct when she said there were very few members in the Digital Pirate club, and hardly any of them spoke of anything Primrose found interesting. She could easily say it was because they were adults who thought on a different level than a sixteen-year-old like her, but secretly, both she and Kylie wanted to say they were just one-dimensional. However, all of that changed when a young girl arrived.

[Yuzuki:  _Hello everybody.]_

[Primrose:  _Hi there ^_^]_

[Ramona:  _OMG Yuziki's back!]_

[Callum:  _Long time, no see!]_

[Nicole:  _Oh snap, Yuzu-nee's back!]_

[Kylie:  _w00t!]_

At home, Primrose sat back in her computer chair, confused as to why everyone, including her friend, was recalling this new member as though she had always been there.

[Ramona:  _Well since you're back from your hiatus, you should go back the "Meet & Greet" thread.]_

Immediately, everyone followed suit to the thread where new users introduced themselves for the first time. Having read Ramona's response, Primrose now could see Yuzuki was a previous user before she joined the Digital Pirate club. Now that she had returned, she figured, Yuzuki was expected to re-introduce herself as though she had been gone for years and came back as an entirely new person. Primrose felt both a cute and weird sense of surrealism at how they were creating such a realistic situation over the internet.

[Yuzuki:  _Hi, my name is Yuziki Chang. I'm 19, 5'3 tall. I like vocaloid music, acoustic, piano, a little bit of electronic, Digit ;). I'm majoring neurology in college right now so that's my main hobby_.]

[Ramona:  _Neurology, that's cool :)_ ]

[Nicole:  _Hey, Prim, why didn't you put up your intro_?]

[Primrose:  _You guys let me go two whole weeks without knowing?_ ]

[Kylie:  _Ha XD_ ]

Primrose flexed her fingers and began to think before she typed. For some reason, she now felt a little nervous and self-conscious. She had a lot to say about herself but didn't want to ramble off, but she also didn't want to speak in clip fragmented sentences.

[Primrose:  _My name's Primrose. I'm 16, 5'5 ft. My interests, I guess, include anime/manga and pop media. I'd say I'm fairly creative, girly, and artistic. My favorite music genres are pop and dance_.]

[Nicole:  _Oh! You like anime too?_ ]

[Primrose:  _Of course!_ ]

[Yuzuki:  _lol You sound like the "annoying Facebook girl meme"_ ]

[Callum:  _She does_.]

Primrose laughed off the insult, already in a light-hearted mood and very unfamiliar with the meme. She continued speaking with Nicole.

[Primrose:  _Hey, are you on Tumblr?_ ]

[Nicole:  _Yeah, I'm under ColaBabe_.]

[Primrose:  _Cool. I'm RosePetalDove_.]

[Yuzuki:  _Guys, we're getting way off-topic here_.]

[Ramona:  _Yeah, you shouldn't fill the thread with off-topic spam_.]

[ _Dexter Digin_ :  _Hey guys, as you may have heard from this, there's going to be a concert coming up soon and as the Digital Pirate club, we could really use your assistance behind the stage with set up and crew. The famous critic, Alfred McClain, will be there and if he signs a record deal with me, it could bring us one step closer to preventing the Musical Pollution._ ]

Primrose knew exactly where the link went to. She had been told by Kylie quite a few times prior to. Digital Pirate was holding a concert right in the humble city of Melancholy and Kylie and Primrose were willing to ride there on Primrose's Vespa, which was really Tsuna's. However, Primrose wasn't sure which was worse, having to help him set up everything behind the stage (despite getting paid for the labor) or having to listen to Digital Pirate's music for hours.

No, she had still not trained her ears to like the music that the website's community claimed to be more intellectual than the current media's music. It gave her a sense of defeat and exclusion to an extent.

"Prim, I'm sensing musical distress from you," Rhythm the Beats Pill stated.

"Geez, so just thinking about going to that concert is making my musical status drop," the Malaysian teen muttered to herself, rubbing her eye tiredly.

"Prim, I don't believe it's safe to go to this concert," foreboded the pink bot.

"It's not like I'm walking into a mine field," said Primrose, looking down at Rhythm beside her feet. Primrose's almond eyes softened "Look, I know how important this whole Vocaloid metamorphosis is, but I can't make this many restrictions on my life. I'm going because I want to."

"It really doesn't seem like it," said Rhythm.

Primrose side glanced the Pill " _Don't you think I know that?_ " she thought bitterly.

The girl turned back to the computer to copy and past Nicole's Tumblr URL and follow her. She could do no more, however, because soon afterwards, Taiki walked in with his typical superior air.

"Oi, runt, get off the computer and go clean the living room."

Primrose didn't vocally respond as she logged off of both tabs without turning around. In the time she did that, the elder's bespectacled eyes fell to Rhythm.

"When did you buy this?" he immediately picked her up and waved her before his skeptical eyes.

When Primrose turned around, her mouth went agape "No, don't-! Put it down!" she lunged for him, but he awkwardly dodged her.

"Hey!" he adjusted his glasses "I'll be damned if I found out you took money from my wallet to buy yourself some prissy new accessory for your room."

Primrose propped herself up on her elbows, fighting back the pain as minor bruises began to form, but then halted at what she saw.

In Taiki's slender fingers was Rhythm, plain as day, but Taiki seemed completely oblivious to her existence. He held her by her speaker with her body limp, a mildly irritated gaze in her eyes.

"Hmph," Taiki smirked "Or better yet, you took the money from Dad. My, has the teenage rebellion hit you hard."

"I-I didn't take the money from Dad," Primrose stood up "I got the money working at the Digital Pirate club."

"The what?" Taiki asked "You know what? Never mind. I don't even want to know," the elder then dropped the Beats Pill in Primrose's hands, which she fumbled with and nearly dropped. Taiki rolled his eyes and left "Just clean the living room."

Primrose watching the retreating back of her brother until he was completely gone and out of earshot. She then turned to Rhythm "Why didn't he notice you?" she hissed in a whisper "He was literally holding you!"

"Ordinary people can't see moderator Beats Pills for what we truly are," explained Rhythm "They just see us as an ordinary merchandise beats pill."

" _So Taiki thought he was just holding a speaker…_ " thought the Malaysian girl as she looked back towards where he left.

She sighed and said "That's really helpful."

"I think so," pridefully agreed Rhythm, crossing her small arms over her small body.

* * *

"We gather here to sing for you, the words you've written

Each bloodshot beauty still rings true, from violent crashes"

The red-head passionately sang the lyrics as the bus bobbed and bounced, her voice in low volume and smooth beneath the ruckus of the other kids.

"Gently rest your weary head

What you live for now is dead"

Her pale pink lips molded around each word as her ring piercing glistened in the sun that poured in through the window every so often.

"Goodnight...

Goodbye...

A soul surrender"

Brianna felt the bus come to a halt. Although disappointed that she would soon have to take out her earbuds just as the song had started, she tried to savor it as long as she could by covering the wires in her scarlet strands of hair.

She stood up and, as always, the boys allowed her the right of way.

Every male in this school yearned for the acceptance of the female. No one could mistaken her iconic black and white stripped stockings on her skinny legs, her heavy mascara in contrast to her pale skin, her multiple piercings across her face, her dark clothes that were often purposely loose-fitting to make her look smaller. Yes, she was the idol woman in the eyes of the male student body. Her unique style stood out from the often perky airs of the other girls. Once Brianna noticed that, she decided to embrace it.

As the song ended, Brianna turned off her MP3 player and advanced towards her locker. She took out her earbuds and stowed the device away in her pocket before unlocking her locker. Upon opening it, she revealed the interior of which was lined with miniature posters of Pierce the Veil, Black Veil Brides, Suicide Silence, and Sleeping with the Sirens. These were the faces she greeted every morning, aside from the ones on her bedroom walls on a bigger scale with far more bands of the same genres. Just seeing them brought a slight smile to her face and a warmth a familiarity in her chest. It felt like home.

"Hey, Hey! Did you see that One Direction music video last night?"

"No, what happened?"

"Oh! It was amazing! You should have seen it, Rina!"

Brianna sighed, bringing her head to the edge of the locker opening. Moments in the day like this were moments that she dreaded.

Beside her, a blonde girl and a brunette Asian were excitedly discussing one of the many music artists she couldn't stand to hear the name of.

"It didn't come out on Youtube yet, but if you go to this one Tumblr user—" the brunette stopped and looked over when she saw another girl approaching "Primrose, hey! Did you see the new One Direction video?"

Brianna closed her locker in a mocking manner " _This should be good_ ," she thought.

The Malaysian halted by the girls and said "One Direction? Hmm, y'know, I've never actually listened to their music."

"What?!"

"Seriously?!"

Both girls' simultaneous exclamations were loud enough to earn a few momentary stares from bystanders. Primrose, herself, jolted a bit. Brianna had irritatedly flinched and was now rubbing her sore ears.

The brunette laughed "Oh my god, how have you  _not_  heard One Direction's music? They're literally everywhere!"

"I know, but I've never actually sat down and listened, y'know? I mean, I thought about it, but..." Primrose shrugged.

The girls laughed again, as if they were amused by a child's naive behavior. Primrose tried to pull her own grin and a shy chuckle, unsure of how else to respond.

"You should totally check it out though, like, for real," said the blonde "They're literally the best."

Primrose nodded in agreement "Well, if you say so, I guess I should give it a go," she said with optimism "I'll see you later!" she then added as she walked away.

The girls gave their own short goodbyes and waited until the Malaysian was out of earshot.

"Who's never listened to One Direction?" questioned the blonde when Primrose left.

"Someone who's been living under a rock," said the brunette girl.

Brianna's blue eyes followed Primrose as she walked away " _Obviously someone like her listens to One Direction. It's pitiful that she tries so hard to look above the others when she's just like the rest of them,_ " she thought.

Unfortunately for Brianna, she would have to follow Primrose because the shared the same class at this exact time.

" _I guess should take it as flattery that she wants to be like me,_ " the red-head thought " _Still, it's just dumb that she's this much of a wannabe. Doesn't she have any life of her own?_ "

The two girls walked into the classroom, Brianna nearly knocking Primrose out of the way when she saw Blake sitting sideways in his desk to face the door.

"Hey Blake!" she greeted with a playful punch to the arm.

Brianna had established long ago she wasn't the type of person who was comfortable with public displays of affection. Small exchanges of tomboy behavior was fine with the brunette boy.

"Hey Bri," he said, a more coy smile on his snake bite adorning lips than usual "I got you a little something."

"You did?" questioned the girl "That's so sweet."

"I didn't even give it to you, yet," he laughed, leaning back and sticking his arm into his backpack slung over his chair. Blake then pulled out a pair of black headphones with silver earpieces.

Brianna released a small gasp and accepted the gift with a delighted smile.

"I saw them over at the music shop and thought of you," said Blake.

"Thank you so much, Blake," the red-head put the headphones around her neck.

The classroom door closed as the sound of Ms. Dolan's voice said "Alright class, everyone take your seats."

Brianna pulled the thick black hood over her headphones to conceal them from the teacher and walked to her desk.

* * *

Getting off the bus, the red-head's foot steps unintentionally hopped to the beat of the song in her head.

" _But, oh my God, I've been looking_

_But I still hold your breath so you won't leave_

_Pastel-red and porn star-white_

_Ghost on the altar_

_We breathe, don't leave_ "

Brianna's footsteps followed the same rhythm as the lyrics flooded into her ears through the headphones.

Home.

That's what she felt.

Every single time she heard these artists and the stories they told through their lyrics, she was taken to a place of familiarity and comfort; a place she recognized.

Just as her third song stopped, she paused to move her headphones down and scratch her ear.

"Hey! I love your headphones!"

A foreign yet disturbingly familiar voice that reminded Brianna of the girls at school rang in her now exposed ears.

A girl probably a year younger than her beamed at the red-head's headphones "Are you cosplaying as a vocaloid?"

"Tch, what?" Brianna spat, almost insulted being asked that question, but also confused.

"You have the butterfly headphones from the vocaloid art," explained the girl "Are you cosplaying?"

"What the…?" Brianna slipped the headphones over her head to see what the girl was talking about, confident she was absolutely nuts, but lo and behold, in the red-head's hands was a completely new set of headphones. The head piece was now black with a silver bone pattern on it with a skull on each ear piece. Sprouting out of each ear piece was a black and silver monarch butterfly wing.

" _When did this happen?_ " Brianna thought.

"What's wrong?" asked the girl, concerned by Brianna's shocked facial expression.

Instead of responding, the red-head stood speechless for a few more seconds, before steeling herself and running the rest of the way home.

* * *

Primrose wiped the sweat off of her brow and soon after wiped it on her apron with a sigh of relief. "Done!" she proclaimed to no one as she had finally finished wiping the counters after completing her homework.

Rhythm, who had been sitting on the edge of the table, shook her head "This is just a disgrace," she said "You haven't sat down since you walked into this house!"

Primrose peeled off her rubber gloves "I know…"

"At this rate, you'll never be able to build up your musical identity," continued Rhythm.

An twine in Primrose's gut urged her to toss the soppy golden glove at the Pill upon hearing this remark, but she suppressed it.

"C'mon," said the Malaysian as she pulled the apron over her head "Lets head to Dad's office and watch this One Direction video."

She opened out her palm and allowed Rhythm to hop into her grasp. From then on, Primrose carried her as she traveled through the house, to the office and planted herself in front of the computer. Rhythm sat beside the keyboard and watched the calming video roll by. It mainly composed of images of the five members singing towards the camera in a vast, darkened room. It seemed quite easy-going and laid back as they were all just dressed in everyday clothes and nothing very spectacular in the video was happening, until Primrose switched videos.

Rhythm glanced up at her questionably.

Primrose pulled out an earbud "It was a little too boring. I thought I'd switch to another song."

It was another One Direction video where they appeared to be on the beach singing. However, again, Primrose only made it halfway through before switching to a third video by them. This time, the music video seemed very quirky and almost a blatant parody as one of the members flirting with another one of the members was in drag. But, again, Primrose switched to another video.

"Prim…" tiredly said Rhythm.

"You're not even listening! I'm the one with the earbuds," waved off the girl "I just wanna check out this woman right here because the thumbnail looks interesting."

"Honestly, Prim, your attention span is something to admire," said Rhythm.

"One Direction just isn't my cup of tea, alright?" said Primrose "I was just trying out their other songs before I completely wrote them off. Now I'm moving on."

Immediately after the advertisement ended, Primrose's ears were met with a humble R&B drum beat and a gentle tambourine shake. The slow motion footage of a young black woman with somewhat ruffled hair smoking a cigarette played on the screen.

" _Pills and potions_

_We're overdosing_

_I'm angry but I still love you…_ "

Realization hit Primrose it the gut hard when she saw the three frames of the same woman sing these lyrics on the screen.

This woman was Nicki Minaj.

Growing up in her neighborhood, women like Nicki Minaj were heavily antagonized. In fact, her school had officially dubbed her as an ignorant and disgusting woman. Primrose never partook in giving any opinion of the woman besides admitting that she did have an outlandish personality and sense of style that she did admire, but now hearing this beautiful voice and seeing her in such a gorgeous, vulnerable state was shocking.

" _They could never make me hate you_

_Even though what you was doing wasn't tasteful_

_Even though you out here looking so ungrateful_

_Imma keep it moving, be classy and graceful..._ "

Primrose was amazed by how Nicki was able to turn her soft, demure melody voice to a bold woman's rapping tone to give her statements more purpose. It was intriguing to Primrose how Nicki was able to look like a bold, independent woman, yet still hold a sense of femininity and vulnerability. She didn't have to sacrifice one image for the other.

Before Primrose knew it, the video was long over and the end advertisements were playing.

She looked to the Related Videos column and on the top was "Problem by Ariana Grande ft. Iggy Azalea"

"Primrose, how long are you going to stay here?"

"You may as well go into sleep mode, Rhythm."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Believe it or not, I have met people like Brianna, but to a much more aggressive extent. I’ve tried giving her a reason behind her attitude so she can at least seem like a reasonable character.  
> "Beautiful Remains" by Black Veil Brides.  
> "Chemical Kids and Machine Brides" by Pierce the Veil.  
> "Story of My Life" and "What Makes You Beautiful" by One Direction.  
> "Pills N Potions" by Nicki Minaj.


	3. Chapter 3

The black and silver butterfly headphones plopped onto Brianna's black bedsheets.

"Alright, just what the hell happened?" she muttered to herself, staring down at them.

On her walk home from school, the headphones Brianna had received from her boyfriend, Blake, had gone under a dramatic transformation as noted by a random passerby. Having fled all the way home to investigate, she now glared at what once was a gift with intimidation and apprehension.

"Heh, so you're finally home then."

The red-head jumped at the sound of the raspy male voice coated in an Australian accent.

"It's about time. I've been waiting forever," out casually walked a black Beats Pill from the shadows of her closet.

Brianna instantly picked up the bot with a distasteful glare "One of those dumb beats pill toys?" she snorted "I didn't know they were supposed to walk and talk."

"'Ey! Put me down you stupid git!" scolded the Beats Pill as it punched her hand "Shut up and listen to me! I've got big news, you see."

Brianna dropped the bot on her bed, startled by the abrasive remarks "Okay, what the hell is going on? Who decided to prank me with an audio-taped toy?"

"I'm not a toy! I'm Lyric, the Beats Pill," introduced the bot "And if you want to know more about this here pair of Butterflyphones, you'd better listen up."

Brianna was enlightened "So you  _do_  know about these headphones?" she asked, but then frowned "I'm talking to a toy…"

Disregarding her statement, Lyric continued "These are your Butterflyphones, which you use to transform into your Vocaloid form."

Brianna's face twisted in disgust "Vocaloid?"

"Yup," confirmed Lyric "Musical guardians whose job is to rescue the trapped Music Notes in Earth."

Brianna furrowed her brows "Musical guardians?" she questioned incredulously "Tch, really?"

"Your Butterflyphones have already changed into their color and design," explained Lyric "So that means you already gained your musical identity and can metamorphose now."

Brianna shook her head at the bot with a frown on her face "Alright, you guys got me," she said, walking around the room with her arms outstretched "Joke's over. I believed it for a minute."

"You still seriously think this is a rouse, girly?" groaned Lyric "Why don't you put on those headphones then and forget all about this?"

Brianna grabbed the Butterflyphones and put them on her head "Gladly," she then began to connect it to her MP3. She started to carelessly walk out of her room and away from the nonsense of Lyric when a transformation began to take over her.

As black shadows and silver sparkles entwined around every crevice of her being, her outfit changed dramatically. On her feet were knee-high black laced boots with black and white stripped stockings beneath. The stockings went just over her knee caps and were connected to her black jean shorts by garters. A white sleeveless V-neck with an open black sweatshirt tied over her shoulders like a cape adorned her shoulders.

Brianna immediately stopped, nearly tripping face first. She looked down at herself and began to grope the new materials placed on her. They felt more valuable than ordinary fabrics.

"Believe me now?"

Brianna looked back over her shoulder back into her room where Lyric sat on the bed.

* * *

"You  _what_?"

Primrose flinched slightly from the shocked question, but she repeated her statement.

"I didn't like the One Direction songs, none of them," she said.

Again, the two girls weren't angry, but their amused shock still made the Malaysian feel as though she were being accused.

"But why?" innocently asked the brunette.

Primrose shrugged "I just don't like the music," she then quickly added "Don't get me wrong, they're adorable and sweet boys. I've seen them on Tumblr before."

"Which one do you think is the hottest?" asked the blonde.

Primrose fringed her brows "I wouldn't say they're  _hot_ ," she said "To me, at least."

The blonde's jaw dropped. Both girls then looked at each other in utter disbelief.

Primrose looked between the two girls in uncomfortable silence, biting the inside of her cheek "Well, I'd better go on to class," she said "Bye!"

She then began to walk away, ironically at the same time that another person entered the same space, almost as if to trade places.

"I'm sorry, but who doesn't think any of the One Direction members are hot?" questioned the brunette "You think she's one of those uptight hipsters that hates on One Direction to look cool?"

"Heh, maybe a lesbian," joked the blonde. She then glanced at the person who had entered their space at was attending to their locker "Hey, Brianna, what's up with that Primrose girl?"

Brianna glanced away from her locker to look at the girl "Huh?"

"She seriously said she doesn't like One Direction and she doesn't think any of the members are hot," the blonde then chuckled "She must be gay, right?"

"Or a hipster who just doesn't want to admit they're hot," added the brunette.

Brianna sighed "Don't even ask me about those losers."

Both girls were taken aback by the bite in her tone as well as the words.

"Wha-what…?" gasped the blonde.

Brianna walked away without another word.

The girl was exhausted. After last night's endeavors, the last thing she wanted to face was being questioned about a band she absolutely hated.

After Lyric transformed Brianna, she had to accept everything he had to say as truth. She was, indeed, a Vocaloid, whose objective was to free the Music Notes of the Earth. However, she didn't understand exactly what that meant. Where they talismans? Were they lost souls? He called them "fallen Muses" but no matter how Lyric tried to explain it, she couldn't grasp it. Now she had to accept him as a helper for him to assist her in her growth as a Vocaloid. When she asked how she could take him to school and other places in public, he simply answered by saying he would always be with her. She didn't understand what he meant by that, but when he disappeared into the night to never be seen again, she was left to take his word for it.

" _I can't believe this is seriously happening_ …" thought Brianna as she leaned her forehead on the cold metal of her locker " _I've got to be dreaming. It's got to be a really long dream. Maybe I'm in a coma._ "

She felt in her pocket for her MP3 player, which had her old earbuds connected to them. She wasn't taking a chance taking those Butterflyphones to school with her. They were resting in the messy underside of her bed where they could cause her no trouble. Without those or Lyric at her side, she could at least pretend her reality had never changed.

* * *

"Here, take this."

A small pink device in the shape of a square hopped from Rhythm's hand to Primrose's lap.

"An MP3?" the teen questioned "You bought me an MP3?"

""Bought" is the wrong word," said Rhythm, sitting on the edge of the desk she stood on "I'd say "materialized" is more appropriate."

Primrose held it between her thumb and index finger "That's amazing!" she beamed with a smile slipping onto her lips "Does it work like an ordinary MP3 player?"

"Yes," answered Rhythm "Collecting music you enjoy on it will help build your musical identity."

Primrose laughed weakly.

" _Of course it had_ something _to do with being a Vocaloid,_ " she thought.

"Thanks," she said, nonetheless, collecting the USB cable that went along with it. She connected the two and fiddled with them in her hands "I only have, like, five songs I could even think of downloading right now."

The girl shrugged and began to step out of her chair, but ceased "Ugh, Dad is using the computer," she said, slumping back down in defeat "Man, and I really wanted to check up on Nicole too."

"Nicole?" questioned Rhythm.

"A friend I made on the Digital Pirate website," she explained "I mean, I could text her, but I'm supposed to be checking on the forums with her since a concert is coming up this weekend. As club members, we're allowed to help for payment."

Primrose couldn't help but smile around the word "payment". The thought of receiving easy money brought her satisfaction.

"Are you sure about attending this concert, Prim?" questioned Rhythm.

Still in an enlightened tone, Primrose said "You already know my answer, Rhythm."

Her phone then vibrated against her hip. Primrose pulled out the silver device from her pocket and inspected the screen

"Well I guess the decision was made for me, then," she said.

She had received a text message from Kylie, though.

 **Kylie:** Hey, are you alright?

 **Me:** course I am. Why do you ask?

 **Kylie:** The thing that happened on the forums.

 **Me:** What thing?

 **Kylie:** Remember the Name Your Favorite Song thread and you put that Nicki Minaj song up there?

 **Me:** Yeah

 **Kylie:** Dude. You got burned.

 **Me:** What do you mean? I went to bed early that night and haven't logged on since.

 **Kylie:** Oh that's why you didn't say anything. Yuzuki pulled a rant on you because you liked Nicki Minaj and she said it was musical pollution with meaningless lyrics and all that other crap.

 **Me:**  She got that mad? All I said was that I liked the song. I get the whole musical pollution thing, but we're allowed to have guilty pleasure songs, right?

 **Kylie:** And she was being so snobby about it, but everyone else jumped on board to make fun of you.

 **Me:** ?! Now I'm glad I logged off early if that was gonna happen.

 **Kylie:** Look I'm not a fan of Nicki either but Yuzuki, damn, she needs to chill.

 **Me:** Ugh, I hope she doesn't act like that at the concert.

 **Kylie:** OH NO.

Primrose couldn't imagine a bunch of adults thinking it was alright to ridicule and condemn a minor for their music choice. She figured that perhaps Kylie was blowing the situation out of proportion or maybe even she, herself, was overanalyzing the story laid out to her. Primrose knew this bunch was known for sarcasm and snarky humor. Being more hyperactive teenagers, she settled on the idea that maybe she and Kylie just couldn't keep up.

Suddenly, the Malaysian chuckled.

Curious, Rhythm looked up from her lap "What is it, Primrose?"

The teen sighed sweetly "It's pretty funny isn't it?" she said "Just a few weeks ago, you were telling me how I was a musical guardian who had to rescue fallen Muses from their imprisonment," she leaned her head back against the chair "But I'm sitting here worrying about concerts and internet cliques like nothing even changed. I come in, do my homework, do my chores, spend what little free time I have on myself, and go to bed."

Rhythm sat dumbfounded, actually attempting to find some humor in that situation, but failed to do so "Well, it certainly is ironic."

Primrose adjusted herself in her chair, bringing one knee up to her chin and leaning her head on it "Hey Rhythm," she said "You said in order to have a musical identity, you have to be artistically gifted or talented in some way, right?"

"Exactly, that way, your powers can have an outlet," confirmed the bot.

Primrose furrowed her brows "So how did I get chosen as a Vocaloid when I don't have any artistic talent at all?"

Rhythm hesitated her answer "…Well, the first Vocaloids are of Japanese descent, then moved onto all Asian descent. Being Malaysian, you—"

"I know that," said Primrose, who now raised her head up to look at the bot "But what made me get picked out of every other Asian, artistically gifted girl out here?"

Rhythm made steady eye contact with the teen for a brief silent moment and Primrose allowed that silence to pass.

"I am not invested in that decision; none of us Beats Pills are," Rhythm finally said.

Primrose faintly hushed "What?" just below a whisper as if she didn't have the breath to speak it properly "Then how is it decided? Who chose me?" she asked in a normal tone.

The answer the adolescent received was something she wasn't ready for.

"No one knows."

* * *

Chords screeched from the guitar strings as the red pick danced across them. All the sounds that escaped the amplifiers were cushioned within the confines of the spacious dark shed. The pale fingers stroked the guitar's neck and pressed precisely against each appropriate string when the time was right.

With a final huff and one last strum, the melody ended.

"Great work, darlin',"

Brianna whipped around, speed slowed down by the weight of her guitar, at the sound of Lyric's voice as he casually stepped out of the shadows like he had the previous afternoon.

She exasperatedly pulled the guitar strap over her head to take it off of her body, as if preparing to either fight or escape.

"You…!" she could only muster this single word in a conflict of pent up frustration and confusion.

"Ahh, don't look so pissy, girly," Lyric said, hopping up on a shelf "That's exactly the kinda thing that builds your musical identity."

Calming down a little, the stubborn red-head asked "What's that?"

"Hm? Musical identity? Well, it's self-explanatory," said Lyric in a way that would hint he was smiling if it were physically possible "It's your identity as a Vocaloid composed of your powers, which really rely on two things: the type of music you prefer and your artistic ability."

Brianna sat on an amplifier, glancing at the door as if her parents would walk in at any time, which never happened "I'm not getting it," she said.

"Think of your powers as a car. The type of music you like to listen to is the fuel. The more you indulge yourself in it, the stronger you become," Lyric explained "Your artistic ability is like a practice drive. By having an artistic outlet, it's easier for you to tap into your musical identity."

Brianna nodded tentatively.

"You understanding so far?" asked Lyric when he got no verbal response.

"Yeah," answered Brianna, honestly.

Her icy blue eyes then traced to her guitar "So I already have a musical identity. I can already transform," she picked up the neck and body of the guitar and held it like a person "And…me being able to play the guitar just makes me stronger?"

"That's right," confirmed Lyric.

Brianna finally looked away from her guitar and at the Beats Pill with a hard expression "What's the catch?" she asked.

"Huh?"

"You're giving me all this easy power without me having to lift a finger? Do you know what I could do with these powers?" she posed "So what's the deal? Why are you giving me all of this?"

Lyric chuckled slightly "Oh Brianna, Brianna, Brianna…"

Having her name repeated in such a tacky, out of tune fashion irritated the red-head, but she held her tongue.

"As a Beats Pill, the only thing I can give you is the Butterfly Headphones that you're already entitled to from birth," he said in an all-knowing, snarky tone "You were only chosen as a Vocaloid  _because_  you had all these powers all on your own."

Irritation faded from the red-head's body and morphed into a cold, foreign feeling of strangeness upon hearing this.


	4. Chapter 4

The aggressive hum of the Vespa cut across the pavement as the tires glided over the clean road. The wind teased Primrose's pink hoodie as Kylie struggled not to have it slap her helmet clad face. Specks of raindrops pierced the smooth surface of both girls' helmets as the Vespa picked up crisp sheets of rain off of the street. The sheets began to lower and hush as the vehicle slowed to its arrival at the building. The Vespa came to a halt once Primrose set her foot on the pavement.

"Damn! It's raining hellhounds and hyenas out here, but I don't care 'cuz Digit is here!" Kylie cheered as she peeled her helmet off of her head.

A smile was revealed on Primrose's reddish lips as she called her Vespa's engine to a stop, but soon it contorted into a skeptical frown "Are you sure this is the right address?" she questioned.

The older girl stared up at the basic four-wall, brick building with what appeared to be the faded remains of posters that used to advertise various commercial brands.

"Well, they had to rent the place," said Kylie, sliding off of the Vespa seat "And in the urban section of Melancholy, to boot."

"That's rough," hummed Primrose, disappointed at the humiliation the man must have felt when he realized the shabby place would hold his performance.

"As if a crappy building's gonna keep Digit from delivering one hell of a concert," waved off Kylie as she approached the door.

Primrose followed suit, both girls disregarding the rain as they made a short trek from the curb to the door.

Kylie entered first, her black gym shoe hitting the velvet carpet.

A few people already stood in the lobby, two of them standing still at the mouth of a hallway, handing out papers to those who roamed.

"I knew this place seemed familiar," said Kylie, looking around at the high ceilings and plain decor "It used to be a church."

"Really?" questioned Primrose, catching up to the younger girl's side.

"Yeah, my grandparents used to come here all the time," said Kylie, approaching the two young adults clad in black Digital Pirate T-shirts.

"Hello there, are you two members?" greeted an Asian woman.

"Yup," replied Primrose as both girls raised their arms to show neon green wristbands simultaneously.

The woman gave friendly nod "Great, just head to the third door on the right," she said in her same chipper tone as she stepped aside to let the two females walk down the hallway.

The further they descended, the more Primrose believed Kylie's claim that the rented out building was previously a church.

"She probably just told us to go backstage instead of the concert hall," pointed out Primrose as they approached the door.

Kylie opened the door, allowing both to enter a spacious room of dark-colored floors, ceilings and walls. Wires hung down like vines and people walked back and forth at a hurried fashion.

Kylie instantly recognized a few faces that flashed across the room as the faces she would see in the tiny thumbnails on their online forum. The first one she recognized was "Callum!"

The bespectacled blond slowed his pace and squinted towards the two females.

He then hesitantly walked towards them with an awkward step "Hi," he said "And you two are...?"

"It's us, Kylie and Primrose," introduced the younger.

"K-Kylie and Primrose…?" the man repeated, skeptical of the two younger females before him. He could easily feel a sense of familiarity upon recognizing Kylie's cozy black Nirvana sweatshirt, mustard yellow jeans and black gym shoes. Many people before had come in similar attire. However, Primrose's rose pink sweatsuit with golden stripes running down the length of her legs and arms stuck out as odd to him.

"Callum? What's going on here?" questioned a female voice.

A lean woman of a considerable height approached the man. Threaded through her wavy brown hair was a headset and in her arm was a clip board.

"Oh, umm, more members of the club came by," the blonde explained "Kylie and…?"

"Prim," the older girl finished "Primrose."

The woman pulled an open-mouthed smile "Oh! Kylie and Primrose!" she said in recognition as she nodded "So nice to see you!"

"Same to you, Ramona!" replied Primrose with a smile of her own.

"So Ramona, an important music critic is supposed to show up, huh?" questioned Kylie.

"Yeah, Alfred McClain," the brunette said with a smile and a nod, as if saying the name would ring some recognition in the girls. However, a rather nervous sigh escaped her airways afterwards "It's a pretty big night for us."

"I'm sure of it," agreed Primrose "So what exactly would you like us to do?"

"Oh, just help with the stage set up," Ramona waved off "Are either of you computer savvy?"

Primrose playfully grabbed Kylie's hand and waved it like a school student.

"Alright then," said Ramona "You can set up Dexter's computer."

A spark in Kylie's chestnut eyes lit up as though she were complimented.

* * *

A satisfying click made contact with the outlet as Kylie plugged in the wire that brought the computer to life.

"This is so damn cool...!" the girl muttered to herself.

Far away on the back part of the stage, Primrose struggled to pull the rouge curtain to its proper place, silently envying her younger friend for having the less physically exhausting job.

"Need some help there?" questioned a foreign, rather childlike voice.

Primrose looked up and made eye contact with a pair of emeralds.

Walking up to her was a young woman just an itch or two shy of Primrose's height. Her scanty figure could easily confuse the Malaysian for someone of a younger age, but her layered, straight black hair and the slight tint to her skin rang a bell of familiarity that told Primrose otherwise.

"Yuzuki?" questioned the Malaysian.

The older female nodded "I'll take that as a yes," she said, swaggering over to the other side of the curtain and moving it "Primrose, isn't it?" she asked.

The taller female replied "Y-Yes," suddenly feeling slightly self-conscious as she tried to focus on both speaking to the older woman and the task at hand. The reason she had initially recognized the woman as Yuzuki in the first place was because she matched the features the woman had mentioned several times on the forum. However, now that Primrose was seeing those features altogether, she noticed a particular flaw "So Yuzuki, umm, what is your real name?"

Even though there was a very faint bronze to the girl's white skin, it could only put someone under the impression that she was from Italian or Greek roots. Primrose could only assume her Japanese name was just a screen name inspired by anime.

The older woman's young features twisted ever so slightly in an offended expression "That  _is_  my real name," she said "I may not look like it, but I do have Japanese heritage."

Primrose's face heated slightly in embarrassment "Oh..." she then chuckled awkwardly "Heh, if you're wondering, Primrose is my real name, too."

"Yeah, I figured," Yuzuki said with a slight clip in her tone that showed that she saw Primrose's declaration as rather obvious.

The two moved the curtain across the length of the stage in awkward silence. It wasn't until they were halfway done that an uncomfortable thought crept into Primrose's mind: This was the woman Kylie claimed to have scolded her on the forums.

" _Huh, she must not like me_ ," Primrose thought " _I'll have to make sure not to piss her off here_."

"It's funny meeting each other in real life for the first time," the Malaysian said.

"Yeah, I'm sure none of us look like what we expected, accounting for those who don't have a selfie as an icon," laughed Yuzuki "Well, I can't say the same for you. You look pretty much exactly as I expected."

Primrose smiled "Oh, nice," she said, although she felt something less than innocent in the words, especially when the woman's green eyes scoped up and down Primrose's pink-clad figure.

* * *

The depths of the backstage filled with the echoes of the growing audience that waited on the other side of the curtains. Over time, it had seemed to suffice for the oxygen in the room as it congested the atmosphere. The members of the Digital Pirate club were unmoved by it. If anything, they hummed with the subtle energy of anxiety.

"Has anyone seen Dexter?" Jacob's voice called out.

Ramona's mouth formed into an "O" shape as she stared in awe "Are you kidding me? You haven't seen him either?"

The black-haired young man shook his head regrettably "No."

The other members looked at one another as the unnerving news settled in.

"We've already postponed the opening performance by fifteen minutes," stated Ramona with agitation "Although that audience doesn't know it, yet, Alfred McClain is waiting out there and he's expecting a show. So…" she anxiously rubbed her hands together as she paused "If any of you could…supply some entertainment until Dexter comes..."

Each of the club members had already began to take glances at each other once they heard the first half of Ramona's sentence.

"Prim can sing!" Kylie cheered.

The older girl's almond eyes widened considerably as her face flushed "N-No!" she stuttered.

"What are you talking about? You know you can sing," countered Kylie "Don't pretend you didn't know what you were doing during that karaoke night!"

"That was just for fun!" argued Primrose "You can't hold that against me."

"Joking aside, can you sing or not?" Ramona intervened with an impatient tone.

"Yes!"

"Well, yeah but-"

Both girls replied at the exact same time, Primrose's half-stated response hanging in the air.

"But what?" Ramona spat out.

"But there's gotta be someone else better than me. I mean I'm just a kid," Primrose countered.

"We're looking for someone who can sing. Age isn't really a factor right now," Jacob snarked.

Primrose's mouth snapped open again to protest, but she suddenly became aware of all the expectant eyes on her, pleading, begging for an agreement. It was up to her now. There was nowhere to run.

"Just tell me how to work that computer."

* * *

The Malaysian stood on stage before the computer and keyboard set up, her features stern in a stubborn face of both agitation and determination.

" _Alright, we can do this. We can do this! We can totally do this! You've got a pretty good singing voice, Prim. Don't even worry! Let's just get this over with and move on with our lives. Okay? Great! Then we'll pretend this never, ever happened._ "

The audience, completely unaware of the teen's internal turmoil, simply applauded her arrival as expected.

Primrose pulled the microphone up to her red lips "H-How're we doing tonight, Melancholy?" she greeted.

Another satisfactory round of applause was returned.

"I'm sure quite a few of you know this song," she said, unsure of what else would be appropriate to say.

" _Anything other than "Digital Pirate is late so I'm subbing.",_ " the girl thought as she pulled up the music on the computer as she was instructed to do backstage.

The same lazy beat Primrose had listened to with Kylie on the cold curb that afternoon played through the speakers behind her, bringing back the uncomfortable image of the brown hue with the single blue and orange stripes.

Once her cue came, Primrose began to sing the robotic lyrics, appropriately molding her girlish voice around Digit's low hum of a voice.

It seemed to have worked, as the audience members held satisfaction in their faces. Someone even gave a brief "whoo!" as she ended a note.

Primrose was relieved to have gained the audience's approval. She continued to drone the lyrics into the microphone, hearing it echo around the concert hall as the audience gained more energy and got into the unorthodox rhythm of the song.

However, Primrose didn't really feel like she was singing the song. She felt as if she were going through the monotonous motions of a command, like a machine whose switch had been turned on.

Suddenly, she clamped her mouth shut, stopping the flow of lyrics from her voice. The music continued playing only for a short moment before Primrose's hand came up to the mouse and paused it.

A hum of displeasure and confusion washed over the audience that slightly soured Primrose, but her hands were already dancing on the keyboard as she pulled up a new audio.

A tame techno beat slowly gained volume as it pumped through the speakers beside Primrose. Pensively rolling her fingers carefully over the microphone, Primrose tapped her foot to the beat.

"If you want it…take it.

I should've said it before."

Energy buzzed within the girl. It made the microphone in her hand feel slippery with sweat. An unrealistic fear that she might drop it flashed through her mind for a split second. As she took a moment to breath during the pause in the song, her eyes landed on a particular individual.

He was dressed in a navy blue suit with a golden shirt underneath. As he nodded his head to the rhythm of the song, his concise afro was just barely seen in the dark audience. His chocolate brown skin accented his deep dark brown eyes. That's what she noticed the most; the approval in his eyes.

"Tried to hide it…fake it.

I can't pretend anymore."

The man's bright white teeth were shown as his lips stretched into a full smile. Primrose could feel her cheeks swell as her own smile formed on her face.

"I only wanna die alive.

Never by the hands of a broken heart.

I don't wanna hear you lie tonight...

Now that I've become who I really am"

A welcoming warmth pooled in Primrose's chest. She felt it stretch over her shoulder blades and the nape of her neck.

"This is the part when I say I don't want ya

I'm stronger than I've been before

This is the part when I break free

'Cause I can't resist it no more-!"

As if a bucket of ice water had been harshly thrown on the girl, Primrose's words bundled in her throat at the sound of an electric pop snapped in her ears.

Looking down, she saw her computer screen covered in black lifelessness. She quickly darted her head in several directions for the source of her dead computer. Finally, her eyes landed on the lean figure of Ramona standing to the side of the stage, swinging a disconnected cord in one hand while the other was balled in a fist that rested on her hip.

Shivers of guilt ran down Primrose's spine as the woman's brown eyes pierced into hers. Soon, another uncomfortable feeling settled in Primrose's body. As she gazed out to the audience, she realized the content faces she thought she had witnessed were actually a sea of sneers and moving mouths that formed complaints.

She flinched slightly as a hand snatched the microphone out of hers while another gently shoved her to the side.

"We're sorry, folks; we know you deserve much better than this Musical Pollution," Ramona announced to the crowd as she stood in Primrose's place "Digital Pirate will be here shortly to perform."

The warming sensation in Primrose was leaving a burning feeling on her skin where it had touched. She would have shaken it off as the scorch of humiliation if it wasn't for the rapid intensifying of the heat. It was in that moment that Primrose began to worry. She had been embarrassed before, but this heat was more than just a simple flustered blush. It was a dry heat that wouldn't allow her to sweat, but it consumed her very being.

She exhaled, shocked to see her breath had grown hot enough to steam in the lukewarm room as though she were standing outside on a winter day.

"Prim? What's up?" Kylie's concerned voice reached her ears, her hand resting on the older girl's shoulder.

The moment the added heat touched Primrose's shoulder, the older girl flinched.

"Ah-! I-I'm good-d, I just need to go, uh, to the washroom…"

"Prim—"

"I'm fine…!" the older girl hissed with impatience as she spun on her heels to face her now scared friend.

Primrose glowered at the girl as she slowly took careful steps backwards, getting a good distance between herself and the younger before she turned and walked away.

* * *

Primrose was thankful that her friend allowed her the privacy by not following her. She just prayed she had also informed the others to leave her be as well.

Primrose couldn't pinpoint what was wrong with her. She certainly wasn't emotionally or mentally disturbed in any way. No, it was solely physical. Her nerves were strangely hyperaware and her body felt overstimulated. She felt the slightest touch would render her undone.

" _Is this what a panic attack feels like?_ " the girl thought fearfully as she looked down at her flushed red hands " _Or…the beginnings of a heart attack?_ "

She had locked herself away in a dark, cold basement in an attempt to cool down. The bathroom was much too public for her. Not only that, but a concerned member could check up on her.

Her back hit the wall once a shattering pump of her heart pounded against her chest. She then slid down the wall until she rested in a sitting position in the aftermath of her recovery.

" _It seems the metamorphosis has finally come_ …"

Primrose lifted her teary eyes in the direction of the eerily familiar voice.

" _Hm, you always were such a special child._ "

Before Primrose could even strain her eyes in the dark to find the source of the voice, pink discoloring began to flood the edges of her vision. She shivered when the layers of her clothes thinned out enough for her to feel the cold concrete on her bare skin, but soon, new garments took the place of her pink jumpsuit.

Wrapped around her hips was a bright pink pleated skirt with a tight pair of gold shorts that could easily be mistaken for boy-styled panties underneath, boldly showing between the folds of the skirt. A gold, long sleeved shirt of the same skin-tight material revealed the Malaysian's taut abdominal muscles. Over her bust and shoulders was a bright pink hooded poncho that left only the sleeves of her shirt uncovered. Her legs bore thigh-high pink boots with a gold zipper running down their lengths that was made of a stretchy fabric more akin to leggings.

Then to top it all off, a pair of pink Butterfly Headphones sat right over her ears.

"Wh-" Primrose's questioning statement was left to hang in the air, but realization soon hit her "But how did…" she turned around to look about her surroundings "Rhythm?"

However the Pill was nowhere in sight.

The Malaysian stood up "Oh god, I can't let them see me like this," she squeezed her hands into fists "How do I change back?"

A bright light flash beneath the fabric of Primrose's poncho. She reached into her cleavage and was amazed by what she had seen; her MP3 player firmly stitched onto the fabric of her golden top. The screen was flashing a blank white screen at a steady rate.

"What does this mean?" she asked a little too loudly.

Rather than an answer to her question, a familiar male voice simply replied "Oh, so you're the owner…"

The girl instantly spun around on her heel to look in the direction of the male voice.

A tall man with a modestly muscular build stood in a strange attire. He wore a tight-fitted dark green turtle neck sweater with a black leather jacket over it. A brown belt with an alarming amount of various weapon holsters crowned his close-fitting black jeans. Under his layered brown hair was an equally dark green mask over his eyes and nose.

Upon closer inspection, Primrose realized that the man was holding…

"Put her down!"

Rhythm struggled in the man's leather-gloved grasp. Primrose knew that the man could see her as a Beats Pills. He wasn't holding the bot by the head like her brother had done that night. No, he was holding her by her body, which shouldn't have been visible to him if he were human.

Of course, the man didn't make any movement to comply to Primrose's wishes.

In a rush of anxiety, the girl lunged at him, only to be met with a brutal fist in her gut, which she had tried and failed to push away before it made impact.

"Whoa, a feisty one," the man said as the girl's body convulsed over his fist "Not even a "what are you doing?" or a "who are you?"? No? You just go straight in for the kill? Harsh."

Primrose took advantage of his slack attitude and clawed his arm, causing him to recoil. However, the moment she lunged again, she was harshly backhanded to the ground.

"Well, I'll tell you anyway, despite your lack of concern," the guy casually walked over to Primrose, planting his foot right on her already bruising stomach just as she was about to get up again "Your little birdy here found a Music Note that has no business being in anyone's hands but mine. I had to fix that, of course..."

As the man spoke, Primrose's eyes wandered about her, seeking a means of defending herself. That's when she saw it; the miniature crossbow tucked away in a gold holster stitch to her skirt.

"…the question is should I let you live or die?" he teased "Although I've been feeling pretty generous, lately, I'm rather bored—"

Suddenly, a pink beam flashed past the man's head, little shreds of hair floating in the air where the arrow grazed his scalp.

Although the girl couldn't see it, the man's eyes widened considerably. He lifted his foot from Primrose and backed away.

After she stood up with her bow and arrow aimed in her hands like a gun, the man laughed "Do you even know how to use that thing?"

"I just did, didn't I? Hand over Rhythm and the Music Note."

There was hesitation, of course, but Primrose wasn't willing to fire an arrow simply because the man didn't comply right away. Who knew how many arrows she had in that thing, anyway.

Eventually, a condescending smirk stretched over the man's face "Y'know, I think I'll let you have it this time," to Primrose's surprise, the man set Rhythm down, who was holding a blue orb in her arms "You're pretty entertaining," he said backing away "Don't think this is over, though. I'm just saving you for later."

Before Primrose could register what was happening, her instincts took over and she ran towards Rhythm, taking the Pill in her hands. When she looked up, the two were…alone.

* * *

"Rhythm, what happened?" questioned Primrose "I transformed, but…"

Primrose stood in a bathroom stall in her normal jumpsuit again. She held Rhythm in her palms because she was untrustworthy of the dirty surfaces in the stall. Even though no one else was there, the teen still pretended she was making a private call in the stall.

"You developed your Musical Identity," explained Rhythm "Apparently, the emotion was strong enough to trigger your transformation. Most don't transform until a few weeks after."

"But why did it…ugh…" the teen shuddered, still feeling waves of sickness wash over her body "Why did it hurt so much?"

If it were possible for a Beats Pill to give the look of a scolding mother, Rhythm had succeeded in it "Remember when I told you that placing yourself in musical distress was dangerous?"

Primrose thought about when she was singing Digital Pirate's song on stage. She felt so frustrated, so humiliated that she was forced to conform to a song that wasn't her. It didn't feel genuine.

"Your metamorphosis could have been easy and painless if you hadn't forced yourself into this situation," lectured Rhythm "That's probably why your Vocaloid outfit looked so…hastily put together."

The Malaysian grumbled "You're right. I should have listened to you," in defeat.

After a moment of resting against the wall, Primrose spoke again "So this Music Note," she said, her gaze lowering to the orb in Rhythm's arms "This is one of the "fallen Muses"?"

"Yes," confirmed Rhythm "I detected it when it broke out of its shell. I wanted to warn you about it so we could save it, but that man got to me first," the Pill looked up at the girl "Primrose, your singing awakened it from its slumber."

A surrealistic feeling settled in Primrose's gut " _I did that?_ "

"Most typically, a Vocaloid must use her weapon to physically break the shell, but you managed to do that with your own voice," Rhythm beamed "You have the gift of vocals…" she then lowered her voice to a volume below Primrose's hearing range "Just like your mother."

* * *

After a firm scolding from Ramona and countless apologies supplied by both Primrose and Kylie, the concert continued just as Dexter had made a seemingly miraculous arrival. The girls sat on the side, Primrose noticing the unwelcoming stares from the audience members. In fact, when one of them approached her, a sense of fear swelled in her throat.

"Hey, I noticed your singing on stage."

That's when Primrose realized the smiling face in front of her was that of the black man in the audience.

"I'm Alfred McClain," he said "I'd like to talk with you later, but until now, here…" a business card was placed into Primrose's hand.

The girl side glanced at her friend to see if she noticed, but alas, she was swept in the hysterical joy of the audience as she applauded Digital Pirate.

The man brought a finger up to his lips "But let's keep this between you and I. I don't think Digital Pirate, here, would be too happy if he found out about this offer."

Several questions piled on top of one another in Primrose's mind as she watched the man return to his seat in the audience. Of course, none of them actually formed into spoken words.

Looking down at the card she was given, she noticed an interesting phrase: " _Project Illumination_ ".


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Great news! Even though my MAC laptop broke, I was able to find the files with notes written down for the upcoming chapters. From here on out, I should have a steady plan for how to map out this series.

"An exposed abdomen; how reckless," the pink Beats Pill tsked in distaste with her stubby arms crossed over her chest.

Primrose stood stiffly in the center of her room with her arms crossed behind her head. She was dressed in her Vocaloid outfit, which glowed a cosmic blue in various, random places and left even more random portions of her auburn skin revealed. The young woman hoped and prayed that her father and brothers wouldn't wake up from their slumber and intrude on her in this peculiar position.

"Rhythm, how long will this take?" she asked "My arms are starting to cramp up."

The bot responsible answered "Oh, I'm not sure, Primrose. It's not easy for a moderator Beats Pill like myself to do this. We're not created for tailoring, especially with clothes made of Crystal Threads," she paused, focusing steadily on a minor detail in her work "You may take a break soon, though."

"What are Crystal Threads?" Primrose suddenly blurted out, turning her head to face Rhythm, who- standing on her usual throne of a dresser-scowled at the Malaysian for moving. In response, Primrose cringed and carefully moved back into her previous position.

"Crystal Threads are the material Vocaloid uniforms are made of," explained Rhythm "Armor is too heavy to move around in and clothes don't prevent flesh wounds. Crystal Threads take care of both problems and more."

Intrigued, Primrose raised a brow, despite Rhythm being unable to see it "And more?" she echoed.

"Yes," confirmed Rhythm "It adjusts to extreme temperatures to prevent frostbite and overheating. The footwear, no matter what kind, has maximum foot support. The Crystal Threads, themselves, adjust to accustom women of any and all sizes," the Beats Pill then sighed "Unfortunately, the uniforms' designs still aren't as perfect as the material, itself."

Primrose shivered as a strip of fabric disappeared from her shoulders, leaving more skin bare in the cold room. She scowled at the open window that invited a breeze into her room.

"How are these uniforms even made?" she asked.

"Well, the Crystal Threads were pioneered by the very first Vocaloids," explained Rhythm "As for the designs, they vary depending on the Vocaloids, themselves. Their own aesthetics, personality and style influence the design," again Rhythm's voice fell into exhaustion "But sometimes mistakes can happen."

A hint of guilt crept up Primrose's spine as she remembered why her outfit became so botched. She shook away that guilt when she noticed the blue fade away from her body and the floating pieces of fabric fall limp. The teen rushed to cover the less than decent parts of her body.

"You may take a break, now," said Rhythm, sitting down and making herself comfortable on the dresser.

Primrose grumbled to herself as she struggled to shuffle over to her bed while holding the fabrics against her semi-nude body.

* * *

"I went to Digital Pirate's concert to have a good time and all I have to show for it is a slap on the wrist, a good scolding, and a business card," Primrose's words were punctuated with the plop of her washcloth in the dishwater "Tch, I should put that on a T-shirt."

Tsuna, scarfing down a plateful of eggs, asked "Shit, what'd you do?" between chews.

Meanwhile, his bespectacled brother on the other side of the kitchen table sipped his coffee as if he were the only person in the room.

Primrose sighed "Digital Pirate was late so the crew asked me to take over for him in the meantime."

Before she could continue, Tsuna chuckled "Heh, pretty sure that didn't end well."

Primrose blushed angrily in embarrassment, knowing bitterly that Tsuna's words were true. She was thankful to be facing away from her brothers and that they could not see her expression.

A small smile crept up the corner of Taiki's lips "Prim, what did I tell you about making a fool of yourself?"

Primrose planted her hands on her apron-covered hips "For the record, _they_ were the ones who _asked_ me to sing," she snapped, looking directly at the black-haired brother, who was completely unfettered by his sister's heated correction "And everything went fine until I switched to another song."

For once, the younger of the brothers asked a genuine question "What was the song?"

"Break Free," answered Primrose, back to her calm voice, but still with a hint of assertiveness "By Ariana Grande."

"Oh God..." groaned Taiki, pinched the bridge of his nose in disgust. The brunette brother simply laughed at his brother's reaction.

Again Primrose frowned "Unlike you two, they didn't hate the song because it was "girly" and "feminine"," she said "They hated it because it's mainstream."

Again, Tsuna laughed, scraping the crumbs from his plate "That's a dumbass reason," he said before scooping up the remains of his breakfast with his fork and dropping them into his awaiting mouth.

"Indeed," agreed Taiki "That's a rather pathetic and petty reason not to like a song: popularity."

A cocktail of emotions swirled in Primrose's stomach as she realized that her brothers had said something that she had agreed with.

"Okay, so you got a scolding because they're hipsters," Tsuna said as he placed his plate in the dishwater "But what was the business card about?"

Primrose smirked "Well, _one_ person liked my singing," she said.

"Quit lying," said Tsuna.

"I'm telling the truth," Primrose said, pridefully as she grabbed Tsuna's licked-clean plate and began to wash it "At the end of my performance, a man from the audience handed me a business card for...uhm, I guess a singing audition?"

Despite his coffee running distastefully cold with time, the bespectacled brother seated at the table continued to sip from it as he listened "It could be a scam. What's the company called?"

"Ah…" Primrose tapped her foot, trying to rack her memory for the image of the card in her hand "The Illumination Studio or something…"

Tsuna's thick brown eyebrows bounced "Illumination?" he repeated.

Before Primrose could confirm it, Tsuna nearly exclaimed "Illuminati scam!"

Again, the eldest brother groaned "Now you've started it…"

Primrose outright laughed, looking up at Tsuna in disbelief "What? "Illuminati"? You mean that dumb meme that's lumped in with the "MLG" memes that has the _X-Files_ theme song playing in the background?"

"Oh sure, the public _wants_ you to see it as a meme, but it could be real!" argued Tsuna, both serious and hyped up at the same time.

"Tsuna—"

"C'mon, how else do you explain all the bullshit the government pulls and the conspiracies going on in the world?"

Stressfully adjusting his glasses, Taiki attempted to speak again "I don't know, Tsuna. Maybe if you actually listened to a political news station for once and stopped watching those conspiracy theory videos, you'd know what's going on."

Peering from around Primrose's figure to look at his brother, Tsuna said "Hey, I never said it was real. All I'm saying is that it's _possible_. You never know. I mean, if the deep web is real, what makes you think the illuminati isn't?"

Taiki sighed, pushing away his coffee cup as if he were too disgusted to drink anymore "Sure Tsuna, hiphop and rap artists are a part of a Satanic government group."

"Possibly…?"

"And as a minority, you, in no way, see this as an unfair attack on black music because of stupid rednecks and bigots."

"Well...when you put it that way…"

As Tsuna stood in silence genuinely chewing on the theory placed before him, Primrose turned off the running water and took off her rubber gloves, having finished with her morning chores. She usually didn't include herself in her brother's discussions. She only observed as a source of entertainment.

A small hint of a smile crept on Taiki's face as he appeared to have won the argument. The young male stood up from his chair and carelessly approached his younger sister "Here, kid," he said as he handed Primrose his half-empty coffee mug. Primrose accepted the coffee and watched as her brothers left the kitchen, one satisfied with himself and the other befuddled.

The Malaysian looked at the contents of the mug. She knew when her brothers were being nice to her, so she took a sip of the cold coffee.

She liked it.

* * *

Click. Clack. Click. Clack.

" _Long ago during the Earth's earliest stages, there were beings called Muses_ …"

Click. Clack. Click. Clack.

"... _They gave humans the gift of art and creativity. They were the third eye that allowed mankind to view the world in a new perspective_..."

Click. Clack. Click. Clack.

"... _One day, on a very, very dark day, there were no Muses to be found_ …"

Click. Clack. Click. Clack.

"... _They were gone. Every single one of them. Gone_."

Click...Clack…

"... _What became of them? Were they dead? Clearly not because man was still able to utilize the skill of art_ …"

Click.

" _There was only one answer: They had been trapped, imprisoned within the Earth that gave them life_."

…

" _We may not know who is responsible for their caged lives, but we do know who is responsible for setting them free_."

Brianna stood in the fractured doorway of the abandoned building. The remains of what once was a bustling business stood around her, ready to crumble at any moment. However, the police tape didn't stop her and neither did the orange setting sunlight beaming in through the gaping holes. She was on a mission. And that mission sat blatantly in the center of the circular room.

"Ahh, she's a real gem," hummed Lyric as he peeked over Brianna's shoulder to gaze at the Music Note.

A smile stretched over the redhead's thin pink lips as her pale blue eyes twinkled in delight. She took a step towards it, a second too late before she heard Lyric's "Wait, Brianna-"

Where the redhead's foot hit the floor, a black vine wrapped itself tight around her ankle.

With a yelp, Brianna was picked up and slung against the wall, creating a slight indent in the old drywall and crumpling to the floor in a pained groan.

Lyric, who had fallen to the floor the moment Brianna was picked up, ran to her side "Oi, Brianna!"

The girl grunted in response "What the hell was that…?"

"I forgot to warn you about this earlier," said Lyric, increasing urgency in his tone "Some Music Notes have a barrier."

The redhead continued to groan irritatedly as she pulled herself off of the ground "A barrier…?" she questioned.

"Yes," confirmed Lyric "That's why Vocaloids have weapons, so that you can break it."

Brianna sighed and slipped her fingers underneath her black hoody to tap the button on the silver MP3 player that rested on her collar bone. Within a second, her scythe fell into her awaiting hand. Its black, slender handle reached beyond her height, a winding white stripe giving it a candy cane pattern. The silver blade, nearly half the length of the handle, was painted with a red design over the arc, imitating dripping scarlet blood as well as ravenous flames.

"Be careful," warned Lyric "Music Note barriers can be tricky. They're full of traps that take a lot of thinking and planning to-" The black Beats Pill tumbled to his backside when he was knocked aside by the force of Brianna's running figure.

The redhead dashed straight towards the glowing blue orb seated in the center of the room, causing an uproar of winding black vines to come her way in an effort to stop her. Without slowing down, she blindly swept the blade of her scythe across her way, haphazardly cutting the vines and giving her more space to run.

"Brianna! You bloody brat!" exclaimed Lyric in all his anger "What in the fuck do you think you're doing?!"

However, the girl paid no mind as she continued her task. For a split second, a path was laid out for her where the Music Note was visible, its blue glow sparkling in her pale blue eyes. Before cutting another black vine, she used it to step up and raised her scythe high in the air. When she landed, she brought the blade down on the glowing exterior of the Music Note.

A white wave pulsated from the Music Note, disintegrating all of the vicious black vines in its path. Along with it, a cool, crisp breeze washed over the air. Brianna could have sworn she had heard an angel's singing as the wind fluttered over the shells of her ears.

When she opened her eyes again, her scythe's blade hung in the air above the floor, as if nothing had been there to begin with. With a sigh of relief, the girl stood up, but not without experiencing a harsh kick to her ankle.

"Ow!" she hissed, bringing up her ankle to hold it.

From below, her black Beats Pill stood with an angry expression "Don't you ever let me catch you doing something as stupid as that ever again," he scolded.

"Hey, I got the Music Note, didn't I?" questioned Brianna, placing her foot back down.

"Within an inch of your life, girly!" Lyric groaned, holding his head as if it were aching "I'm supposed to be helping you become a Vocaloid and you're not making it any easier. I told you to listen to me."

Brianna sighed and began to walk out of the room, expecting Lyric to follow "Nothing's ever good enough for you, is it?" she said.

The Beats Pill only muttered disgruntled curses.

* * *

 _Project Illumination_.

Primrose stared at the business card sitting on his desk under the light of her lamp. The card was a reflective gold color, the words written in purple cursive letters. A star was etched into the center, outlined by thin purple lines.

"No phone number, no email, not even an address," she muttered to herself, shaking her head in disbelief "If this is really a scam, there's no way for me to fall for it."

As the teen studied the card, she didn't notice the arrival of her Beats Pill, who materialized onto the dresser.

"Hm? Primrose, what are you doing up so late?" questioned the pink bot.

Having been so used to her moderator's spontaneous coming and going, Primrose simply raised her head and answered "I can't stop thinking about this business card. Something's not right about it."

Rhythm smoothly sauntered off of the edge of the dresser and hopped onto Primrose's desk to inspect the business card "Hmm…" she squinted curiously "There is no location or contact information?"

"That's just what I was thinking!" blurted out Primrose, threading her fingers through her silky black hair "I don't get it. What am I supposed to do with a business card from a business I can't talk to or visit? I even Googled the name and nothing came up."

As the girl spoke, Rhythm continued to study the business card. However, at some point, she held the card close to her face and a purple arrow appeared on the golden paper, pointing in Rhythm's direction. Primrose was too busy speaking to notice this detail, but came to attention when the card began to disappear into the crevice beneath Rhythm's mouth-speaker.

Shocked, the Malaysian exclaimed "Rhythm!" and scrambled to snatch the card. However, the equally confused and startled Beats Pill continued to consume the card until it was completely gone.

"Rhythm!" repeated Primrose "Why would you…?!" Before the teenager could complete her exclamation, a flurry golden glitter flew from Rhythm's speaker. Primrose was unable to even register what had just become of her before her figure disappeared and left her swivel chair spinning slowly in her bedroom.

* * *

Primrose opened her eyes, only to squint at the harsh, blinding white lights. There weren't too many lights, but their reflection off of the smooth white floors and walls was enough to pull of that illusion.

She looked around. She was seated in a white couch that felt unnaturally soft and plush compared to the sterile environment. There was no furniture of any kind, nor any windows, but there was a single door and she was facing it.

The teenager waited, fearful of what the consequences would be for saying "Hello?" and making her presence known to whoever was there. She had to get out. She didn't know where she was, but she didn't trust it. She had to get back home, but there was only one exit. And from that exit, she could hear approaching footsteps.

Closer…

Closer…

Primrose gulped, a feeling of lightheadedness taking her over. This couldn't be real, right? Where was Rhythm? What does she know about this?

Finally, the door opened.

"Hello Primrose. Welcome to the Illuminati."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lyric: scumbag Aussie.  
> Rhythm: Garnet from Steven Universe.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Illuminati confirmed.

Primrose sat in the cushy white couch with her knees knocking against one another as the tall glass of lemonade in her hands collected condensation between her fingers. The straw danced around the pink liquid as the ice around it began to melt.

Before her was a man, but not a man she was unfamiliar with. Primrose recognized him as the black man who had given her the business card at the Digital Pirate concert after her controversial blunder. He was smiling at her, but Primrose found herself unable to return that hospitality.

"So," he began "You made your decision a lot faster than I thought."

The young Malaysian uttered the first sentence since she had been offered the beverage in her hands "What decision?" she asked.

"The decision to join us," said Alfred, as though it were obvious "You processed your entrance card into your Beats Pill and now you're here."

Primrose frowned in confusion "I didn't process anything. Rhythm ate my business card."

At that, Alfred outright laughed, making Primrose's cheeks burn a stubborn red as she realized how childish she had sounded. There was a better way to say that, she told herself.

"I guess your decision was an accident, then," Alfred then cleared his throat to compose himself "Well, I guess I should start from the beginning."

He clapped his hands twice and a stiff, sterile white chair unfolded from the floor behind him. Without even taking a glance, Alfred seated himself "I'm sure you already know about your job as a Vocaloid."

Primrose furrowed her brow in suspicion "I never told you I was one."

"You didn't have to," said Alfred "It's easy to spot a Vocaloid, especially when she's performing."

Immediately, the teenager thought back to the night she performed on stage. She hadn't necessarily feel anything different from the other times she sang. What did she look like when she sang that night? What did that audience see? What did  _Alfred_  see?

"Now, here at the Illuminati, we're working on a very important project; Project Illumination," the man casually explained as though it were nothing special "It's our job to take over for the fallen Muses and keep humanity's harmony up."

Primrose's ears perked at the words "fallen Muses". Alfred saw the shift in the teen's expression and paused. "Take over for them?" questioned Primrose "How? What do you even know about them?"

"We're the Illuminati, Primrose. We know everything about Muses," said Alfred "But I'm guessing that you already know about what happened to them, right?"

Even though Primrose didn't fully understand the story Rhythm had once told her about the fallen Muses, she found herself nodding. She didn't feel like hearing the same confusing explanation again. Especially since she was already confused enough with her current situation.

"So you know that without them here, humanity is at a risk of losing our creativity altogether. Without creativity, there is no harmony. Without harmony, there is anarchy."

Prim swallowed a sticky lump that she hadn't realized formed in her throat. Her lips reached out for the straw to drink her lukewarm lemonade, suddenly grateful that it was there.

"As a Vocaloid, Primrose, your job is to free the fallen Muses that have turned into Notes," continued Alfred "Until all the Muses have been freed, our job is to keep humanity's harmony strong."

Primrose swallowed nervously again "B-But, how am I going to free all the Muses? I'm just one kid. There's tons of them all over the world!"

"You're right, Primrose. You are just  _one_  girl, but you're not the  _only_  Vocaloid," Alfred then smiled "That's where your mission comes in…"

* * *

In the dark, Rhythm sat amongst the pile of glitter. Hours had passed with her panicking and grieving over the disappearance of the teenager. Even though it was physically impossible, the bot had worn herself out trying to figure out what had just happened to her owner and how could she bring her back.

She sighed "I...I can't believe I failed her," she said "Zara, I'm so sorry…"

After a few moments of silence, the glitter around Rhythm began to glow and swirl around her small body.

She scooted away from the debris in shock and watched as it took on the shape of a woman. With a final flare like that of an electric pop, Primrose's body appeared in the glitter's place. Immediately, the teen stumbled backwards, falling on her rear end with a thud and a hissed curse.

Rhythm gasped "Prim…! What happened to you? Are you alright?"

The Malaysian shook away to confusion and glitter from her head and then squinted in the dark "Rhythm? What happened to the lights?"

Unamused by the off-topic and casual question, the Pill only repeated herself "Prim! Do you remember what happened to you?"

"Tch, of course I do," snorted the teenager as she felt around her surroundings to find a light source "Geez, you couldn't at least have opened the curtains or cracked the door? It's pitch black in here."

"Prim!"

The teenager flicked on the first switch she could get her fingertips to and breathed a sigh of relief "There we go," she then turned to the irate bot "What are you so upset about? It's not like I died or anything."

She picked up Rhythm, and the fuming Pill allowed her to do so. After setting her back on the desk she was on before she left, Prim began her explanation "You never ate the business card. That was supposed to happen."

Placing a tiny hand on her speaker, Rhythm asked "It was?"

"Yeah, I was supposed to use it to get to the Illuminati," Primrose then stopped herself "Okay, I know what you're thinking, but it's not  _that_  kind of Illuminati."

"What kind?" questioned Rhythm "What is the Illuminati?"

The Malaysian was shocked to hear that the intelligent Beats Pill before her was unaware of such a controversial word, but then she thought to herself " _Rhythm is a robot, not a human. She didn't learn things the way I did. Maybe she only knows certain things because she's programmed that way_ ," that thought lead to a strange question " _If we're all working for the same goal, why wouldn't Beats Pills be programmed to know about the Illuminati?_ "

"Well, based on what Alfred McClain said, the Illuminati is an organization built to keep humanity's creativity alive until all of the Music Notes are found," Primrose explained, hoping that if Rhythm found something suspicious in the explanation, she would point it out right away.

However, the pink bot did the exact opposite. She beamed "They're sustaining the creativity of humanity?!"

Primrose nearly flinched "Y-Yeah, Alfred said it's because without crea…"

"...tivity, there is no harmony. And without harmony, there is anarchy."

Primrose's lips snapped shut as Rhythm stole the words from her mouth. The two stared at one another for a moment in silence.

"So, what did they want with you?" Rhythm asked.

"Since I'm a Vocaloid, it's my job to find all of the Music Notes," began Primrose.

"Wait, so they want you to bring the Music Notes to them?" questioned the Pill.

Primrose shook her head "No. I just have to speed up the process in finding all the ones here in Melancholy."

Rhythm gave a doubtful look "While I'm glad they don't expect you to find all of the Notes in the world, finding all of the Notes in Melancholy is still a lot of responsibility for one Vocaloid."

Primrose put her hand up to her chest "I know. That's why I have a mission," she dipped her fingers into her shirt and pulled out the MP3 Rhythm had given her, but now, it had been updated into a full-on iPod of the same color.

"To find the other Vocaloids in Melancholy."

* * *

Brianna and Blake sat side by side on the bed together. Video game controllers jostled in their hands as their eyes concentrated on the glowing screen before them. Brianna's dog had finally lost patience with her owner and guest's competitive shouts and commentary and decided it was time to take her leave.

With a final cry, Brianna threw her fists in the air in victory. Blake groaned, but a smile was still present on his lips from the fun he had.

"You're clearly cheating," he said.

"You just need to improve your skills," chuckled Brianna as she stretched and flopped backwards against the bed "Feel like getting the winner a victory drink?"

Blake snorted "Tch, I feel like getting  _myself_  a drink," as he stepped out of the room.

The scarlet-haired female pulled her arms behind her head with a content smile. It had been a peaceful day for her so far. She slept in after realizing that it was Saturday that morning. Then after seeing that her parents had left for work, she decided to invite her lover for some uninterrupted quality time.

" _Life is good_ ," Brianna thought contently.

Soon, the redhead heard the sound of Blake's socked feet padding up the stairs and down the hallway "Hey Brianna, what happened to your headphones?"

The girl in question hummed in confusion as she reached out to accept the can of soda Blake had brought for her.

"I just saw 'em on the kitchen table," he explained "How did you get those butterfly wings on?"

Brianna's stomach dropped " _I never even thought about Blake finding them. I forgot he even gave them to me before Lyric changed them._ "

"Uh, an online tutorial," she lied, biting her lip in worry that she wasn't convincing enough.

Blake gave her a funny look, then shrugged "Cool," he said "I didn't really know you were into that kinda stuff."

Brianna blushed furiously, but kept her mouth shut. The last thing she wanted was for anyone, especially her boyfriend, to think that she followed such a feminine fashion trend of pop culture. However, she knew she had to keep the truth from him.

" _I think I'd rather risk my identity leaking than having anyone think I was into that cutesy garbage_ ," the redhead thought, bitterly.

* * *

The young woman looked about the crowded airport, her classy attire and elegant stature making her stand out from the rest of the monotone individuals around her. Finally, she settled her blue eyes on the woman she was looking for.

Her suitcase rolled behind her high-heeled footsteps as she walked towards the grinning, bespectacled brunette. The two embraced almost immediately after the space was closed between them.

"Welcome home, Kim…!" the brunette squealed "I hoped you had fun."

"Oh, I did," replied the elegant woman "But it's great to be back home, here in Melancholy."

* * *

Brianna grunted as she fought vigorously against the arrow-shaped vines coming her way. Her scythe swung swiftly as her blade cut through them all.

"Attagirl, Brianna, go for the kill!" cheered on Lyric, despite being tightly coiled in the clutched of another arrow.

Brianna kicked an arrow that was coming from behind and used the leverage to propel her way forward. The pulsating energy of the Music Note barrier seemed to intensify as she grew nearer, much like a beating, veiny heart. Brianna messily slammed the blunt edge of her scythe down on it with one hand while she fought off the incoming arrows with the other. She stumbled forward as the barrier broke and the Music Note's defense mechanisms vanished into chilly smoke.

Lyric fell from the black arrow as it disappeared and ran towards the Music Note. "Nice!" he beamed as he held the Note like a trophy.

Brianna watched as the Beats Pill ironically let the Music Note disperse into sparkles despite having just held onto it like he never wanted to let it go. By now, she was used to the odd contradiction.

The redhead sighed in exhaustion "How many of these are there?" she asked.

In all casualness, Lyric replied "I told you, there are millions of them around the world."

Brianna's icy blue eyes widened "How the hell am I supposed to free them all by myself?!" she exclaimed, clearly irritated.

"Oi, oi, it's not like you're the only Vocaloid on Earth," said Lyric "I'm sure there are dozens of them just 'round these parts." He then quickly added "I wouldn't trust any of them, though."

All too eager to get some extra help, Brianna quipped "Why?"

"They'll just get in the way. Vocaloids work best solo," explained Lyric "A lot of them get side-tracked from the main goal, or just aren't fit enough to be warriors in the first place," he shook his head as he snorted "I've seen some pretty pitiful Vocaloids in my time."

Brianna raised a brow "What about me?" she asked.

If Lyric could smirk, it was clear that he was already doing so "Tch, while you're quite a hassle, I must admit that you've got spunk, girly," he said "I wouldn't recommend letting any other Vocaloids hold you back."

The redhead was impressed. Although she and the Beats Pill hardly ever got along, she was pleasantly surprised to hear such a compliment from Lyric. He thought she was strong enough on her own. He thought that she was better off independent.

Brianna held the scythe in her hands "Heh, well then. I guess you'll be the only ally I need."


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I've recently posted a few drawings of the characters on deviant art. To avoid spoilers, I'll only post certain drawings of characters after they've appeared in the story.

**Hey guys, I've recently posted a few drawings of the characters on deviant art. To avoid spoilers, I'll only post certain drawings of characters after they've appeared in the story.**

* * *

The mission was plain and simple. Find the other Vocaloids in Melancholy. According to Alfred, there were five others within the city. So the objective needed no clarification. The real question was…

"How are you supposed to begin finding them?"

Primrose didn't look away from the computer screen when she answered "I don't know. Alfred told me that I already have the ability to find them, but I don't see how…"

"Prim?" questioned Rhythm after the teen paused.

Primrose shook her head in disappointment "I was just reading Yuzuki's reply to my comment."

Rhythm looked behind herself at the screen.

[Primrose:  _Personally, I like using music to just daydream. Almost like a form of escapism when life gets a little too rough_.]

[Yuzuki:  _That sure is quite the statement from someone who sang a Musically Polluted song at our concert_.]

"Didn't that happen nearly two weeks ago?" questioned Rhythm.

Primrose sighed "Yeah, and just when it seems like everyone's let it go, Yuzuki brings it back."

In her typical rational tone, the Pill said "I don't understand. What you did wasn't wrong. You were simply singing the song that expressed your Musical Identity."

The Malaysian gave a weak smile. If only the bot could comprehend situations that didn't apply to their Vocaloid lifestyle.

"What made it bad was that the song was Musical Pollution," said Primrose.

"Now Prim, you have told me what this "Musical Pollution" is and even showed me Dexter's full explanation," began Rhythm "But I can tell you, as a moderator Beats Pill, that there is no such thing as "bad music"."

Again, the teen sighed. She could honestly say that she treasured the bot like family, but her analytical way of viewing things made it hard for Primrose to relate her personal problems.

"According to these guys, that's not true," said the youth as she looked down at her keyboard "Now I have to think of a way to reply to her that doesn't make it clear that she's getting on my nerves."

"Just tell her that it bothers you," said Rhythm.

Primrose typed a quick message as she spoke "I would but…" she put her face in her hands as she groaned "I'm afraid they'll just make fun of me and think I'm weak for being offended."

The teen tapped the enter button. Rhythm looked behind herself again to see the message.

[Primrose:  _Personally, I like using music to just daydream. Almost like a form of escapism when life gets a little too rough_.]

[Yuzuki:  _That sure is quite the statement from someone who sang a Musically Polluted song at our concert_.]

[Primrose:  _lol don't remind me (crying emoji)_ ]

"There," said Primrose "It gets the message across without being too serious."

"Isn't this a bit counterproductive?" questioned Rhythm.

Primrose was silent for a moment, then logged off of the website "Y'know what I could go for right now? A sandwich!" she said in a chipper tone as she hopped off of the swivel chair "C'mon Rhythm."

The Pills followed as Primrose waltzed away from the computer and away from the problem.

* * *

Primrose didn't know how long she had been there or when she had gotten there, but she knew that logic and reason certainly weren't important factors where she was.

Her body was floating in a cool, cerulean space. The atmosphere around her was gel-like: sturdy enough to keep her afloat, yet light enough for her to breathe and move freely.

Finally, the first thought came to her mind " _Where am I?_ "

The second action her mind performed was acknowledging the soft sound that had been growing louder. Shimmering spots of light fluctuated to the sound, which Primrose began to recognize as music.

Suddenly, a violin chord sang out, ribbons of clear water fluttering into the edges of Primrose's vision. Like the shimmering lights, the water moved in sync with the violin.

A crisp beat began; Primrose identified it as music created electronically. The violin was the only physical instrument playing. In that moment, the teen was dropped from her gel suspension, surprisingly unhurt when she landed in the middle of a road.

She recognized the road as Frost Avenue. She had only been there once, but she remembered that it was the loveliest neighborhood she had ever seen.

As the beat continued, a portion of the aqua gel would vanish in a clean pop, revealing more of the neighborhood.

Primrose stood up, the ribbons of water trailing at her sides. She advanced down the road as more of the street was revealed.

At some point, the beat briefly built up, ending in a dramatic pop at one specific building.

Sterling's Music Studio.

The shimmering remains of the aqua that once concealed it twinkled in Primrose's eyes as they fell to the ground like snow.

She stepped forward and grabbed hold of the doorknob. Slowly the pushed the door open and saw…

* * *

Brianna jolted awake in bed, swatting the air in a panic. She then calmed down as she realized that she was awake in the safety of her bedroom.

She held her arms with an irate grimace on her face " _I had a dream about butterflies_ …she thought " _Pink butterflies_."

The redhead slumped back into her bed with a groan.

* * *

"Are you sure your dream actually meant to lead you here?"

"It's a little late to be asking that, Rhythm."

Primrose had just parked her Vespa on the curb before the building that she has seen in her dream last night: Sterling's Music Studio. Everything was exactly how it had been in the dream, confirming Primrose's suspicions.

As she stepped off of the vehicle and put her feet to the concrete, Rhythm continued her doubts "You said that you've been here before, right? Maybe you only dreamed of this place because you were thinking about finding the other Vocaloids."

"Rhythm, I've had vivid dreams before, but I can assure you it wasn't that," argued the teen "I was here. Well, not here, but some altered version of "here"."

"Mommy, why is that lady talking to a speaker?" "Honey, shh, don't be rude."

The Malaysian glanced beside her, remembering that she was in public, and noticed the few passersby staring at her as they walked along. She ducked her head down, tucked Rhythm into her hoodie, and stepped into the studio.

The muffled sound of a piano immediately swam into Primrose's ears, causing her to momentarily halt and admire it. It was smooth, each note transitioning fluidly into the next.

The man at the front desk gave her a perplexed look as the girl stood silently and listened to the tune.

"May I help you?" he asked, shyly.

Her attention refocused, Primrose stepped up to the desk "Oh yes, I'm looking for…" Then she realized that she didn't know the girl's name.

At this point, the man seemed to look uncomfortable by Primrose's odd behavior.

"Heh, I'm sorry, but I…forgot her name," the Malaysian fibbed "Have you seen a tall Asian girl, uh, with short black hair, kinda wavy…"

The man nodded as she spoke "I think I know who you're looking for. Kim Lee?"

Primrose nodded by instinct, hoping that the name was correct.

The man leaned over and pointed behind the desk "She's down the hall, first door on your left."

"Thank you," said Primrose, hoping that the man was right and that she hadn't just made a fool of herself by embarking on this journey.

As she approached the slightly ajar door, it became apparent that the piano music was coming there. The girl's stomach clenched in anticipation as she gently pushed the door open.

Inside, the room was much like that of an inviting lounge. There was a white couch, a floor-to-ceiling window, and a soft white rug. The only thing that separated it from being an ordinary room was the wall lined with piano notes and artwork.

The piano music stopped and Primrose's head whipped around at the disturbance.

Sitting at a large piano was a beautiful young woman. She was exactly what Primrose had seen in the dream. Except now, she was able to see the woman's crisp blue eyes, creamy white skin, and lean, slender figure.

"Hello," the woman greeted with a genuine smile "Are you new?"

Caught off-guard, Primrose clumsily stuttered "Yes, I mean no. I was looking for you."

"Oh," stated the woman, as if this were a normal occurrence "If I may ask, what is your name?"

"Primrose," stated the Malaysian "And you're Kim?"

"Yes," she answered "Are you here to discuss any upcoming performances?"

"No."

Now the woman's face was laced in confusion, as if the question " _Then what is it that you want?_ " would be the next thing to flow from her mouth. Regardless, she kept her air of friendly elegance.

"I wanted to know if you knew any—if you've heard anything about, uh…" Primrose bit her lip "V-Vocaloids?"

Kim's smile returned, a light chuckle fluttering from her chest "Actually, yes," she said "Luka is my personal favorite."

Primrose deflated some in disappointment " _How do I get her to understand what I'm saying? If I bring up Beats Pills next, she'll think I'm talking about speakers. If I bring up Muses, she'll think I'm talking about mythology. If I bring up Butterflyphones, she'll think I'm talking about the actual headphones_."

She looked back up at Kim and said "You know, I heard that you were really talented. I just wondered if I could stop by and maybe…hear you play?"

A delighted expression crossed Kim's features "Of course I could play for you!" she beamed "Anything for a music lover."

Primrose smiled "Thank you," she said before walking over to the couch and seating herself there.

Kim began to play the song from her sheet music, the one she had been playing when Primrose entered the studio.

Primrose listened intently to the music, using her faith in the woman to try and find the beauty she had once witnessed.

Dark ocean waves lapped over each other. The water's color was a heavy ink black color that was impossible to see through. There was no shore in sight and no end to the waves.

Primrose frowned, thankful that Kim's back was to her. A feeling of disappointment soured within the Malaysian. What happened to her vision? Was she wrong? Did she waste this poor woman's time for nothing?

A small memory reached out from the dark recesses of Primrose's mind and pushed itself to the forefront. One of Yuzuki's favorite types of music was classical. She would often praise very common Youtube channels in which people played the piano or violin.

" _Matthew Michaels' piano ballads have so much more meaning and beauty than a repetitive song that just sings "be my baby" over and over again._ "

Primrose's sour mood festered even more upon remembering the woman's reply.

" _Maybe she isn't a Vocaloid after all_ ," she thought pathetically " _Maybe I was wrong...again_..."

The music stopped abruptly, clearly not where the song was supposed to end. The remaining echoes of the last keys played delved into the silence.

"I can tell that you are not enjoying this," said Kim, her back still to Primrose.

"Huh? No, no, no, I like it!" the Malaysian defended.

"It's okay," said Kim "I don't like it either."

A silent "Huh?" rested on Primrose's tongue.

Resting her hands in her lap, Kim started "You're not the stuffy old women that come here looking for a professional musician to perform at the next big event in town. You are a girl just like me who just likes music for what it is. At least, that is what I can see from you."

There was a silence in which Primrose struggled to find the right words "You can?" she finally asked.

"Yes," Kim turned around so she could see Primrose, but didn't face her directly "I know it is rather strange-sounding since we just met, but…" Kim shrugged "I don't know. I can't exactly describe the feeling."

There was a short moment of silence before Primrose spoke again "Well, if you don't like the music that you play, why don't you choose songs that you like?"

Kim looked down at her lap "I wish it was that simple. I really do," she said "But I play what people ask me to."

"And that's okay. There's nothing wrong with playing a song for someone else," said Primrose "But there's nothing wrong with playing for yourself, sometimes. It's expressing your musical identit—" Even though practically the entire thought had gotten out, the Malaysian still clamped her mouth shut in surprise at what she had just said.

Regardless, Kim smiled "Well, that is definitely an insightful way to look at it. See? I knew you were a genuine music lover."

Primrose could feel the tiny flutter of heat in her cheeks at the statement "Well, let's just say I've been in your position before," she said, scratching her cheek as she looked off to the side "If you have time, I'd really like to hear you play a song that you like."

Kim opened mouth to speak, but then closed it and stepped up from her chair. She wordlessly walked around the piano, where Primrose could no longer see her.

When the girl walked back around, she held a violin in one hand and a bow in the other. She placed the instrument on her shoulder and closed her eyes for a brief moment of silence. The moment Kim played the first note, Primrose's eyes widened.

Although the electronic music was absent, the violin was exactly as Primrose had dreamed. She could see her vision clearly now: the cooling aqua gel, the ribbons of water fluttering about. They had replaced the dark ocean waves from before.

Kim then opened her eyes and gasped when they landed on Primrose "W-What is that in your hoodie?"

The Malaysian craned her neck to see what had scared Kim so much. The only thing in her hoodie was…

" _Rhythm?_ "

Primrose reached around and held the Beats Pill in her hand, causing Kim to jump back a little at the sight of her.

"It…is it a toy?" she asked pensively "Is that why it was moving?"

"Uh...no," Primrose answered, warily "She's a moderator Beats Pill. Her name is Rhythm."

Rhythm gave a polite wave "Pleased to make your acquaintance, Ms. Lee."

Kim stood speechless for a moment, then quickly glanced behind herself as if expecting a surprise "W-What is…who are you?"

Primrose stiffened, mildly upset that she had disturbed the budding trust and bond between herself and the woman "I'm a musical guardian called a Vocaloid," she said with her palms open "I came here because…I thought you were one, too."

Kim blinked rapidly, yet still looked elegant in her shock "Vocaloid...m-me?"

Rhythm spoke up again "At first I was skeptical, but the fact that you can see my true form confirms it."

Kim shook her head "I am sorry, I…you must be mistaken," she said "I'm just a musician, not a Vocaloid. Vocaloids are only anime characters. Besides, I don't even sing."

"No, no, not that kind of Vocaloid. We're magical girls."

It was only when the discomfort on Kim's face increased that Primrose realized how silly her statement sounded.

"Magical girls are anime characters, too," Kim then awkwardly cleared her throat "I think I should get going, though. It was nice meeting you, but I should really hurry home and—"

The sound of a struggle interrupted the teen's alibi. Both girls stayed silent as they listened. Primrose looked at Kim to see if it was some kind of common occurrence in that particular studio. The equally startled expression on Kim's face showed that the exact opposite was true.

The scream and crash was what triggered a response.

"Prim, we've got to go out there!" demanded Rhythm.

"Wha—me? But this has nothing to do with Music Notes!" protested the teen.

"You still have the power to stop this," argued Rhythm.

This time, Kim spoke up "Wait, what? It's much too dangerous! This is something for the police to handle!"

"Prim can handle this by herself," firmly stated Rhythm "There is no reason for us to sit aside and wait for someone else when she has the power to do it."

The Malaysian took a deep breath, holding onto it slightly as her chest heaved.

"She's right," the teen admitted.

She then began to walk out of the room.

Now more concerned than ever, Kim leaped forward "Primrose, wait! You can't—"

Just as the Malaysian passed through the doorway, her outfit transformed.

She wore a pink high collar, sleeveless top with an iPod stitched to her breast. Golden thigh stockings peeked through the slits of her mini skirt. Her pink and gold fingerless gloves matched her ankle boots of the same color.

Kim's jaw dropped as she came to a halt, her fingers ghosting over her lips in a silent gasp. She stared as the Rose Vocaloid vanished from the room, her head swimming.

Outside, Primrose strode down the hallway, her heart thumping against her chest with each step.

Rhythm, sensing this, whispered "You can do this, Prim." It wasn't exactly the words, so much as the voice, that soothed Primrose. It didn't completely eradicate her uneasiness, but it helped.

Primrose stepped into the lobby with her crossbow held at her side. She didn't speak, not wanting to agitate the situation, but the sight before her was enough to earn a surprised gasp.

All of the furniture was overturned and scattered. The receptionist she had spoken to only moments ago was being pinned against the far wall by nothing but two large hands clamped around his throat. What probably shook Primrose the most was the person whom the hands belonged to: the green masked man.

His back was completely turned to the Rose Vocaloid, but his head lowered as his shoulders shook in a low chuckle.

"I should've expected you'd be here," he said without turning around "You think you're a big girl now holding your cute little crossbow gun like the cops on TV?"

Primrose shuddered, feeling every hair on her body stand on end.

The masked man turned his head to see her and flashed a sinister grin.

Primrose raised her bow and arrow "Don't hurt him," she demanded "It's me you wa—you're here for."

Again, the masked man laughed, causing the Malaysian to damn her stutter "Don't flatter yourself," he said "You're just an obstacle to add a little fun to this mission."

"Then what are you here for?"

"Ha! As if I'd tell you!" scoffed the masked man "You really are just as dense as you look. Now…" he pressed the receptionist harder against the wall, knocking his head back with a painful thud and squeezing tears out of his reddening face "Where is she?"

The receptionist struggled to shake his head, mouthing the words "I don't…I don't know…"

"Where is—!" the masked man groaned as he stumbled forward, the receptionist falling to the floor beneath his and gasping for air. While the masked man leaned against the wall in pain, the receptionist scrambled to escape, ducking behind the overturned desk he once stood at.

Pink sparks danced across the masked man's jacket where the arrow hit. Spots of blood leaked where the leather had been cut by the blade of the arrow.

The Rose Vocaloid trembled, a cold sweat already forming on her brow as she stared in horror at the man's back. She knew that she wielded a real weapon in her hands, but somehow, seeing the actual physical damage as opposed to some fantastical impact was jarring.

She had _injured_ somebody.

The masked man, on the other hand, turned around with an amused sigh "Can't handle a little blood?" he said "It's a shame I can't say the same."

In an instant, the masked man lunged at Primrose, who hastily shot an arrow that fired into the ceiling just as she was thrown backwards.

The crossbow was knocked out of her hands and skidded across the floor. She was about to jump forward to push the man off, but a blade came to her throat just as she gripped the hand that held it. The Rose Vocaloid pushed against the man's strength with all of her might, knowing that a moment of weakness could end her life. All the while, the masked man smiled down at her. Clearly, this was all a game to him.

The weight the man on the teen drained her strength, and she could feel her mind growing hazy. She knew she couldn't hold up forever. Something had to give.

Suddenly, the man toppled over with a sickening crack, the knife flying from his hand and landing somewhere across the floor with a small clatter.

Above Primrose was Kim, holding a wooden chair as her flat chest heaved. The Malaysian stared in awe at the once composed and delicate woman, now glaring down at the fallen man with her merciless, cold eyes.

The chair dropped and Kim's hand reached out to grab Primrose's "Come on, the police are on their way."

While Kim was distracted looking out for the younger, an electric green net shot across the room, consuming both girls.

Their immediate instinct was to push the net off, but the girls were met with a painful shock every time they pushed against the fibers. Primrose tried to withstand the pain and push past it, but she found herself too low on strength to resist her prison.

The masked man sauntered over to the writhing mesh, craning his neck as his joints popped. He leered down at the girls, his shadow casting over them like a veil.

"I'll give you points for adding a bit of a challenge."

The man reached out his hand, but then hesitated when a blue shimmering light began to overpower his own shadow. He squinted, concealing his eyes as his sight was instantly hindered.

Below him, Kim was being engulfed by the light. Both her and Primrose seemed just as confused as the masked man.

In a matter of seconds, Kim's white blouse was replaced with a sleeveless blue belly shirt with a diamond cutout and an iPod stitched onto her breast. A pair of blue micro shorts rested on her slender hips, and thigh high boots of the same color adorned her lengthy legs. Mirroring Primrose's own accessories was a pair of cerulean Butterflyphones.

A thin fencing sword resembling a violin bow formed into Kim's hand. After a brief second of disbelief, the woman slashed through the net with her newfound weapon.

The masked man stepped back with a stubborn frown as the two Vocaloids freed themselves.

Both girls now stood with their weapons aimed at him as the faint sounds of police sirens echoed closer to the studio.

"Damn," the masked man muttered. He looked around frantically before he suddenly tossed something blue at the two girls and ran down the hall.

Primrose stepped to the side to avoid the object, and turned to chase him.

Kim, on the other hand, grunted after the man pushed past her.

Both girls ran after him, turning down winding hallways. With each hallway, the masked man would get farther and farther away, until at some point, the two Vocaloids could no longer see him. They stopped briefly, looking around and listening for any footsteps.

"We'll each take a different hallway," Primrose stated.

Kim agreed without a word.

The two continued their search, dodging whenever they heard the police officers enter the studio and bark intimidating commands. Although innocent, getting caught by them didn't seem ideal for the current situation.

Eventually, Primrose and Kim saw each other at opposite ends of a hallway and hurried to one another.

"He's gone," panted Kim "But he dropped this."

In the woman's hand was a cerulean Beats Pill. A feminine male voice echoed from its speakers "Being thrown at you two lovely ladies and then forgotten in the dust was definitely not my idea of a friendly introduction, but at least we're all together now."

Primrose gasped as she realized that the blue object that she dodged must have been the Beats Pill "Did that man try to take you?"she asked.

Kim's eyes widened "You mean you don't know?" she asked.

"No!"

This time, Rhythm spoke "We can discuss this later. Right now, you need to get out of your Vocaloid forms before anyone sees you."

The cerulean Beats Pill agreed "Now would be a great time to sneak out the back, too. We wouldn't want the police thinking the mess outside was your fault."

The Vocaloids looked at one another in a silent agreement and proceeded to head towards the exit.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because of the lack of lyrics, I know the song was impossible to recognize. Although you, as the readers, were free to interpret the descriptions however you wanted, the intended song playing was "Elements" by Lindsey Stirling.  
> Matthew Michaels is a random name I made up. He's not even supposed to be a celebrity in this universe. He's just a guy with a Youtube channel and a piano.  
> And before there's any misconceptions, no, Primrose doesn't have a crush on Kim. Every magical girl story has a little bit of a shojo-ai tease, no matter what the orientation of the girls are. And to be honest, that's something I really like about the genre.  
> Also, I know it probably looks like Prim is the "helpless damsel in distress" or "the bumbling hero", but remember that she's literally a sophomore with no fighting experience who was just thrown into this crazy new lifestyle. It always confused me how magical girls seemed to instantly know how to be a hero within 5 minutes. So I wanted to add that realism.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact! Prim's supposed to be voiced by Janet Varney (Korra) and Kim's supposed to be voiced by Jennifer Paz (Lapis Lazuli).

With all the exciting, blood-rushing things that have been happening around Primrose, she never thought there would be a day where she could actually say that she was bored. So it was easy to say she wasn't prepared when she found herself nearly falling asleep as Rhythm and the cerulean Beats Pill, who revealed himself to be Allegro, explained the recent events to Kim. They also went on to explain Project Illumination and the case of the Fallen Muses.

Due to the scene at the music studio, the two girls couldn't stay there to talk. Primrose insisted that they go somewhere void of people to evade unwanted attention, remembering how the passerby stared at her when she was talking to Rhythm. That's when Primrose offered to take them to her house. That's how the two ended up sitting on Primrose's bed with the door closed.

Aside from the occasional question, Kim understood the new information fairly well. Her hesitant pauses of silence made Primrose worry that the taller woman would reject her new reality, but that never happened.

"There is no denying what I just experienced," she would say after every pause.

At the end of the explanation, Kim looked up at Primrose "So, what is it that we do now?" she asked.

The Malaysian rubbed the drowsiness from her eye "I was thinking we should get each other's phone numbers," she said "Maybe our email addresses, too?"

"You can contact each other through your iPods," commented Rhythm.

"But!" chimed Allegro "It would probably be the best for you two darlings to get to know each other personally, considering you'll be partners from now on."

The girls looked at one another with bashfulness, the pressure of their forced interaction weighing on them.

The shorter of the two cleared her throat "Ah well, I guess we should start with the basics," she shrugged "My name is Primrose Aoi. Uh, I'm sixteen, Malaysian, and well…" she thought for a moment as she studied the other for a moment "I guess there's nothing really outstanding about me."

Kim's brows pinched in sympathy "Oh come now, there's something interesting about everyone," she urged.

" _I'm not sure liking the color pink and listening to pop music makes me interesting_ ," Primrose's expression sagged a little " _And according to Yuzuki, it makes me annoyingly generic._ "

The Malaysian shifted the attention "What about yourself?" she asked.

Kim tapped her chin "Well—oh, I already told you my full name. I guess I'll follow your format and say that I'm seventeen and Korean. As you already know, I'm a violinist and a pianist," she then smiled "In fact, I just came back from a concert tour."

Primrose's eyes widened "A-A real concert tour?" she echoed.

Kim nodded.

"But you're so young!" Primrose snapped her mouth shut at the abrupt statement "I mean, no offense or anything."

The older teen gave a delighted chuckle "I have been hearing that of years. I actually started playing when I was little, but I didn't start doing it professionally until last year."

"Did you want to get your schooling out of the way first?" queried Primrose.

"Actually, I was homeschooled, and piano lessons was a part of it. That's how I got started," explained Kim, the memories etching curves of joy on her face.

She then paused for a moment, as if thinking "I don't mean to switch subjects, but I just thought of something," she began "You said Beats Pills cannot determine anything about their Vocaloids until they meet them, right?"

Rhythm and Allegro each nodded, the pink bot saying "Correct."

Kim then looked up at Primrose "But you were able to find me through a…dream?" she asked.

The Malaysian gave an unsure "Y-Yeah."

"Does this mean we'll be finding the other Vocaloids the same way?" Kim asked "Will I be having these dreams, as well?"

"Um, I don't know. This is the first time something like this has ever happened to me," the shorter female said "When Alfred told me to look for the other Vocaloids, he never mentioned anything about dreams or any extra powers, for that matter."

"Hmm, I see…" murmured Kim "If I see anything, I will be sure to tell you."

"Don't forget about me, honey," lilted Allegro "I'll be here to keep updates."

Kim chuckled "I'm sorry. It's going to take a while before I get used to having you around," she said.

"That's okay, lovely, we have all the time in the world!"

* * *

Primrose blew the steam off of the cup of heated milk in her hands. She had just finished showering, and put on a simple tank top and pajama pants while her hair remained wrapped up in a towel. While the rest of her family prepared for the night upstairs in their rooms, Primrose went outside to the backyard with a mug of warm milk.

She was alone. Not even Rhythm was at her side. It was rare for the teen to be alone. No one was there to hear her thoughts.

After a long drink from her mug, Primrose set it down on the table beside her and leaned back to gaze at the stars above. She had forgotten how much she truly enjoyed these moments.

"I got paired up with the perfect Vocaloid." Primrose found herself saying "She's perfect in every way. Compared to her…"

"You're no one special."

The teen jumped up from her chair at the sound of the voice, her towel falling from her hair in the process.

The masked man had been standing before her. Primrose blinked, not believing the sight of his villainous presence in the mundanity of her own backyard.

"Y-You…!" the teen reached around her neck for her headphones only to find them absent.

The man snorted at the sight of the panicked girl "Real professional."

Primrose shook in fear for a moment, then steeled herself in a fighting stance.

The man rolled his eyes "Oh my god…" he groaned "You're lucky I'm not actually here to fight."

The teen frowned "I don't believe you," she quipped.

"Oh, so you do have a few brain cells in that pretty little head of yours," taunted the man "Sadly, this time your logic is wrong."

Primrose still held her guard "Why are you here?" she asked.

"To let you know that your friend isn't as perfect as she seems," the man said "She's keeping a secret from you," the man glanced at his nails as though they were more interesting than the conversation "And here I thought calling  _you_  a magical girl was a joke."

"Tch, you're clearly lying," Primrose brushed off, trying to ease her blatant tension.

The man shrugged "I just deliver the message. I don't dictate whether or not you believe it."

Primrose was silent, staring at the man.

"What? You're still determined to fight me? You're not gonna let me leave unless you beat me to a bloody pulp?" teased the man in a mockingly frightened voice.

The girl's frown faltered in insecurity. She honestly didn't know what she was supposed to do. None of the basic advice she had been given for standard encounters with "sketchy figures" would help her in this situation. And if she was honest with herself, she really did wish that the masked man would just leave already, but that also meant he would be free to come back with less than benevolent intentions as well.

The man cracked his knuckles "Let me help you get started," before Primrose knew it, his fist charged in her face.

She flinched back and shut her eyes by reflex, but no impact came. She squinted one of her eyes open and saw nothing. Then she slowly opened both eyes, but still saw nothing.

There was nothing before her except her backyard and the chirping crickets.

* * *

Brianna yawned into her hand. Her steel blue eyes were already closed and she was about ready to let herself drift off to sleep. That is, if it wasn't for the babbling of the female students behind her.

For once, she could actually say that she was grateful for their presence " _The last time I fell asleep in study hall, someone stole my stuff_ ," the redhead thought.

She opened her eyes and carelessly let them skim over her other classmates. A few were doing their homework, as expected. Some who didn't have any work to do simply read a book from the library. Then there were people who took the opportunity to talk to their friends regardless of whether or not there was work to be done, like the girls behind her.

" _I haven't talked to friends like that since_ …" Brianna frowned and closed her eyes again. She decided to wager on her stuff's potential absence.

* * *

Primrose sighed through her nose.

" _Sometimes I regret becoming friends with people_ ," she thought to herself.

She was staring at the monitor screen, which displayed another failed attempt at conversation.

[Yuzuki:  _(slams my head against the wall) Okay, let me get this straight. You like Chris Brown and you're aware that he's abusive? I can't believe I'm hearing this. It's disgusting to think that monster still has fangirls like you worshipping him_.]

[Primrose:  _No no! I never said I liked Chris Brown, himself. I just really like some of his songs. What he did to Rihanna was horrible and there's no excuse for that, but liking his music doesn't mean I'm okay with what he did_.]

[Ramona:  _I agree with Yuzuki. By listening to his music, you're supporting an abuser. It's music like that that we need to shut down_.]

As usual, Rhythm was sitting on the desk reviewing the event "Prim, you need to get off of this website. This is only creating more conflict."

The teenager knew this. She knew that this back and forth arguing was only poking the sleeping bear, but she couldn't help herself. She needed to validate her opinion. She couldn't lie down taking accusations left and right. No, she needed to defend her statement, but more importantly…

"I can't leave," she argued "I…I'm doing this for Kylie."

"What?" queried Rhythm.

Primrose ran her hand through her hair "Kylie loves Digital Pirate, and she's really passionate about what he stands for. This website is her whole world," her voice lowered "She doesn't even take an interest in anything else anymore…not even me."

Rhythm's voice dropped down to a motherly tone "Now come on, Prim, that can't be true."

"The last time she talked to me was to text me about Yuzuki calling me out on the forum," the Malaysian said as she gave the monitor a woefully blank stare "I figured maybe if I joined the website, we could reconnect. And maybe I could befriend her friends…and not be so lonely anymore."

Rhythm was silent as the teen's eyes fell to her lap. When she met Primrose, the girl's social life was barren. She had one friend, and her family saw her as nothing but a maid. That's why Rhythm stayed by her side even when it didn't pertain to Vocaloid issues. She saw that the girl was alone, but not by choice.

"But now you have Kim," the bot said "And soon, other Vocaloids will join you," she nodded to the computer screen "And they won't attack you for sharing yourself like these people."

Primrose gave a less than confident smile "I hope so…" she said.

Sensing the teen's lack of confidence, Rhythm pushed against her cell phone "Here, why don't you call her?"

"Kim?" Primrose hesitantly picked up her phone "Well, it could get my mind off of this," she logged off of the website with one hand as she dialed Kim with the other.

" _Hello?_ "

"Hi Kim, it's me, uh, Prim."

" _Oh hi Prim, how are you?_ "

"Good, great. I was just wondering if you'd, I don't know, like to hang out somewhere today?"

" _Oh yes! That would be lovely. Do you have any place in mind?_ "

"Not really, no. What about you?"

" _There's a mall around my neighborhood that's just perfect for relaxing and lounging around. I could send you the address and meet you by the entrance._ "

"Sounds good! I'll be there in a minute."

" _Okay. I'll see you soon_."

Rhythm gave a reassuring nod as Primrose hung up "See, we're off to a good start already."

The Malaysian smiled, proud of herself. She felt refreshed by the idea of doing something different.

"New friend, new place to hang out," she stood up from her chair "New possibilities."

* * *

Kim tapped her heel as she sat on the bench inside the entrance. Every so often, people would pass through the automatic doors to enter or leave the mall. When people entered, she could always look through the glass to see if any of them was Primrose.

Luckily, it wasn't long before the pink clad girl approached the entrance.

"That was fast," admired Kim as the doors slid open for her.

Primrose smiled "That's what I was hoping for," she said "I wouldn't want to keep you waiting."

Allegro, who had been perched in Kim's purse, poked his head out "Ooh, I love your outfit, darling," he complimented.

"I helped her pick it out," said Rhythm, who sat on the girl's shoulder.

"Um, would you two mind just stepping to the side for today?" asked Primrose.

"Yes," agreed Kim "We don't mean any ill will, but I feel like it would be best to get to know each other on our own."

"I understand, Kim, wouldn't want your Vocaloid  _chaperones_  cramping your style," teased Allegro.

"Just remember that we'll show up whenever the time comes," reminded Rhythm.

And with that, the two bots disappeared.

Kim stood up from the bench "Now that that's been settled," she said "I suppose I should act as your tour guide for the day."

"What makes you say that?" asked Primrose as she stepped up to the second pair of automatic doors that led to the interior of the mall. She immediately halted and stared in awe at her surroundings "Wow…!" she gasped.

Kim stepped next to her to see her face.

"I knew this was an upscale town, but…" Primrose trailed off as she looked back down at Kim "This place is huge."

Kim chuckled "Hence why I figured you would need a tour guide," she said "There are a lot of things I'm sure you wouldn't want to miss while you're here."

"Definitely," agreed Primrose with a generous nod "Just lead the way."

Kim tapped her chin for a brief second in thought, her blue eyes scanning the area "I suppose…this would be a good start.

The lean woman then began walking in one direction, Primrose following.

"Oh yeah, I should probably let you know that I haven't had any of those visions that you've had," noted Kim "Have you seen anything?"

"No," said Primrose "It's been two weeks now and I still haven't gotten anything."

"Not even any suspicious activity?" questioned Kim, her voice slightly hanging in worry.

Primrose thought of when the green masked man that visited her three nights ago. It had been hard for her to get a good night's rest without double checking the locks on the doors and windows since then.

"Well, the man we fought came to my backyard to scare me," she relayed.

Kim turned around "What? What did he do?"

"Nothing worth calling a threat," Primrose reassured "He tried to tell me that you were hiding something from me."

Kim shuddered, looking forward again with her hands clasped over her chest.

Primrose, not noticing this, kept talking "The minute I get a new ally, he tries to make me distrust you. I guess that shows just how vulnerable he is now that it's a two-on-one fight."

"Yeah…" Kim breathed.

* * *

The day went on beautifully. Kim asked Primrose what she would prefer to do in the mall so she could map out where to go. However, the younger teen decided walking around and stopping by any store that they found interesting was enough. The girls visited only a few stores, and spent most of their time talking to one another and walking around. The two times Primrose wanted to go into a clothing store, she noticed a shift in Kim's behavior. She couldn't quite tell what it was, but it seemed to lie between paranoia and sadness. Both times, Primrose asked the girl if anything was wrong, only to be met with a saccharine "I'm okay." Regardless, the Malaysian hurried to make her purchase and leave.

At last, the teens had decided to put their stroll on hold to get something to eat. When the warm scent of different flavored pretzels fluttered in their direction, their decision was made for them.

As the two girls approached the pretzel stand, Kim looked at a pair of bathroom doors that they passed.

"You go on ahead," she said "I'm going to the washroom."

"Okay," agreed Primrose.

As the Malaysian began to look around in her purse for some money, Kim began to enter one of the bathroom doors. She let go of the door handle with a brief gasp when she realized that it was the men's bathroom.

The sound of the door closing suddenly made Primrose briefly glance over at Kim. The taller woman's face fell in uneasiness for the few seconds she looked at Primrose before she hurried to the women's bathroom.

The pink-clad girl didn't give any thought past " _I guess she was embarrassed_."

Primrose then casually ordered her pretzel and sat down to eat. She felt very happy in that moment she sank her teeth into the warm bread.

" _Today was perfect_ ," she admired " _I stepped out of my comfort zone, tried new stuff, and generally had a great day._ "

Primrose looked out at the beautiful mall that she had gone through " _I should just remember that there's a world outside my own_ ," she smiled " _And it's just begging to be explored_."

* * *

Warm golden spilled out around her being. The black speakers in contrast made the gold shine even brighter. She felt her heart thump in time with the bass pumping out of them. That's when she heard music.

" _Yo, thinkin' out loud_

_I must have about a milli on me right now_

_And I ain't talkin' about that Lil Wayne record_

_I'm still the highest sellin' female rapper, for the record_

_Man, this a 65 million single sold_

_I ain't gotta compete with a single soul_

_I'm good with the ballpoint game, finger roll_

_Ask me how to do it, I don't tell a single soul_ "

The gold bumped and bounced around with the beat, and Primrose could help but find her body moving on its own, dancing in a way she never had before. It was a primal instinct, the way her hips swayed and dipped with the beat. Another girl was dancing with her. They matched each other's moves in an almost synchronized choreography. At the end of the song, the girl reached out her hand to Primrose. This was the first time, the Malaysian had actually taken a good look at her surroundings.

A fair-skinned black girl stood before her. A golden headband held the edge of her afro and a bright smile spread across her lips.

"Nice flow!" she complimented.

* * *

Primrose's legs tensed as the feeling of cold metal crawled up her calf at a dangerous speed. She jolted up from the chair only to shout when the feeling ran all the way up to her skirt.

"Primrose! What's the matter?"

Kim was standing in front of her, blue eyes blown wide in shock and confusion.

The other customers stared at her, but she was too confused and afraid by the squirming object desperately trying to keep its place beneath the pink fabric. Although she couldn't help her outburst attracting attention, she could take the time to hurry to a more private area to avoid gaining even more attention.

Without answering Kim's question, Primrose hurried into the women's bathroom and shook the hem of her skirt the minute the door shut behind her.

Much to both her surprise and horror, she heard a voice.

"Alright! Alright!"

With another shout, Primrose let go of her skirt and something fell down with a clatter.

It was a Beats Pill, but not just an ordinary Beats Pill.

The golden bot picked himself up and looked around suspiciously "Hey man, I just need a safe place to hide, okay? I don't want any trouble."

The voice was like that of a black urban man, but the concern in it was genuine.

"What the—who are you? Who do you belong to?" interrogated Primrose.

The Pill still looked around in fear "It's Brio and, uh—"

Just then, the bathroom door opened behind Primrose, and Kim carefully entered "Prim, it's me. Are you sick? Do you need…" she trailed off as she opened the door completely and saw the Beats Pill before the Malaysian girl "Is this another…Beats Pill?"

"Yeah," Primrose confirmed.

The golden bot broke out of its panicked state for a moment when he noticed a blatant detail "You know what I am?"

"Yeah, we're both Vocaloids," said Primrose "And if you're here, that means that vision I had just now…"

"You had a vision?" repeated Kim "Is that why you screamed?"

Primrose frowned "No," she said "It's because  _he_  apparently found my skirt to be a reasonable hiding place."

Rather than showing any distaste, though, the Korean woman gave a concerned expression "Hide? From what?"

Before anyone could speak, the floor beneath them rattled, causing Primrose to fall.

Muffled sounds of people running and screaming emanated from outside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Truffle Butter" by Nicki Minaj, Drake, and Lil Wayne.  
> Since Beats Pills are just robots, they don't have a sense of sexuality (or nudity taboo), so Brio is completely oblivious to why Primrose was mad. I don't understand how in anime, non-human beings like animals and robots can be attracted to human women, but I guess it's just an excuse for ecchi.


	9. Chapter 9

The two girls tried to peek out of the restroom door. Though, the force of people rushing to evacuate the mall made it near impossible just to get it a glimpse of what was happening without risking a blow to the face.

Backing away from the door, Kim breathed "I can hardly see what's happening outside. Do you believe it is...something we should get involved in?"

Primrose hesitated for a moment "Maybe, maybe not," she figured "But I guess it's better to be safe than sorry, right?"

Kim nodded "Then let's transform."

Pink and blue energy filled the restroom as the two girls donned their uniforms. Brio sat on the floor in awe as he watched the display.

As the Vocaloids appeared in their final state, Rhythm and Allegro materialized before them.

"Girls, is everything okay?"

"We sensed that you transformed."

"Something's happening outside," explained Primrose "We don't know what it is, but we decided to take our chances."

Kim swung open the door, exposing the plights of fleeing people "Let's hurry."

Without another word, the Vocaloids bolted into the stampede of people.

Naturally, they were immediately hit with the force of the crowd. For a second, Primrose realized the danger she had placed herself in, but then she noticed something. Kim easily leaped onto one of the counters of the food court in away similar to a ballerina. As the Malaysian watched this, a large, burly man crashed into her side, but she barely moved. His weight felt like that of a child. Primrose then stepped through the crowd, feeling the force, but not being knocked down. Eventually, she made it up to the counter with Kim, who helped her up.

"Everyone seems to be running from something over there," Kim pointed around the corner to something that was out of both of their sights.

"But there's no way we can get to whatever's over there with this crowd," Primrose said.

Kim looked down at herself, then said "Prim, I can leap my way through the crowd. You should find a way to clear an exit for everyone to escape."

The Malaysian gave a little nod with a compliant "Got it," before the two went their separate ways.

Again, Kim leaped forward. An aura of shiny mist wafted around her delicate feet. She maneuvered the mist with her hands in a graceful manner as they carried her across the crowd. As she rounded a corner, though, she was forced to quickly swerve out of the way as a heavy concrete slab rocketed in her direction.

Looking up, she saw the source of the chaos.

Among the debris was the masked man looking down at a black girl wielding a baseball bat. The girl had to be no older than Kim, herself. As expected, the girl looked horrified, the baseball bat in her hands shaking.

The masked man stepped closer to her "Come on...don't make this any harder than it needs to be," he rasped, forcing a grin behind his frustration "Just be a good girl and-"

"No!" the girl resisted, taking a step back as she got a firmer grip on her bat "I don't know what you want from me, okay? Just leave me alone!"

The man frowned, raising his hand as green electricity sparked from it "Alright…" he said "I'm done playing nice."

Suddenly, he cried out and stumbled to the side as Kim's sword swiped across his figure.

The girl looked up at the Vocaloid with wide eyes, not sure whether the woman was to be seen as another enemy or a hero.

"Leave her alone," Kim stated, calming the worries of the girl.

The masked man straightened up, his frown turning into a sneer as he wiped some of the blood on his side "Huh, I'm impressed. That's the second time you girls managed to land a scratch on me," he said "Though, I wouldn't call you a girl."

Kim's calm expression shook slightly, but only for a moment " _Do not let his words hurt you_ ," she thought " _He is just trying to distract you._ "

The man's smile grew smug as he gave a mocking shake of his head "Honestly, I was willing to believe they'd let a hybrid like her over there be a Vocaloid," he said, pointing at the black girl.

Kim looked at the young woman, who looked just as confused "M-Me?"

"But you," the man continued, referring back to Kim "You're just a boy in heels. Anyone can see that."

Kim's figure became rigid as she glared at the masked man in silence.

In that moment of silence, Primrose had hurried onto the scene, slowing down when she saw the mess.

The girl with the baseball bat turned around to meet her gaze.

" _Is this_ …" Primrose thought "… _another Vocaloid that he's after?_ "

The masked man took notice of the Rose Vocaloid. However, instead of the sadistically entertained grin he often wore when he saw her, he looked honestly surprised and even displeased.

"You again…?!" he growled.

This reaction shook Primrose. Why was he suddenly so angered by her presence when he seemed to enjoy the opportunity to fight her? For once, she actually feared being hurt by him more than before.

Then the masked man extended his arm towards a particularly large chunk of concrete. The concrete lifted up along with his hand and then flew straight towards the black girl.

Three shrill screams echoed all at once, and for a moment, the masked man smiled in victory.

That smile faded when he saw the concrete disintegrate into nothing but rubble. What the masked man saw behind the shower of rubble shocked him.

Kim stood by the black girl's side, holding her sword alongside the girl's bat in the angle of a finished strike. Golden energy enclosed them both as the black girl finished the final stages of her transformation.

Yellow-orange butterfly headphones crowned her head. Puffy detached sleeves of the same color donned her forearms, leaving her upper arms bare. A form-fitting strapless one-piece stopped at her upper thighs with an orange belt hanging on her hips. The last thing to appear in her transformation was a pair of knee-high boots.

Even the baseball bat in her hands was now diamond-studded with a golden handle.

The masked man's angered grimace then returned to a smug grin "It's like a disease," he said "How you can spread it to one another."

He then turned to leave, but was stopped by Primrose's voice.

"Wait!"

The masked man halted, a hint of annoyance in his presence.

Primrose stepped up "Why are you doing all of this? Why do you just leave without warning in the end?" she asked.

The male inclined his head in her direction "Aww, do you miss me?"

The Rose Vocaloid tried not to look visibly embarrassed, but failed to do so.

"This isn't a movie, kid. The villain isn't going to tell you his "evil plan" just because the hero asked nicely," he said "Exposition doesn't happen that easily in real life, sometimes not at all."

"But…"

Before Primrose could object, the man created a square out of seemingly thin air. Inside was swirling black and green nothingness. The man swiftly stepped inside, the square swallowing up his being before disappearing, itself.

The teen couldn't believe what she had just seen.

She looked back at Kim and the Gold Vocaloid. Judging from their expressions, neither could believe what they had witnessed, either.

* * *

"Are you quite sure you don't need a rest, Renee? I mean, you haven't even asked for anything to drink or eat."

"Nah, I'm cool. Besides, I'm way too pumped after what just happened to rest!"

"Okay, but we just had all our Beats Pills dump all of this new information on you, too. You're not even a little bit overwhelmed?"

"Well, my head's still kinda spinning. I mean, I just found out that magical girls are real, and I'm one of them!"

The three girls sat on Primrose's bed, talking about what had just occurred. Kim and Primrose seemed to be the only ones who were tired after the event, whereas their new friend was already prepared for her next encounter with the masked man.

"So, uh, what's that guy's name?" Renee asked.

"Huh?"

"The masked guy," clarified Renee.

Kim looked at Primrose for an answer as well, but the Malaysian was just as lost "I don't think he's ever told me," she said "There's a lot we don't know about him."

Renee clicked her tongue "He's got no business trying to keep secrets when he's dressed up like a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle."

Primrose snorted into her hand as Kim chuckled "Perhaps that should be his name then?"

"I couldn't take him seriously if it was," declared Renee "It's gotta be something fitting like Emerald Something or Shamrock Something."

Primrose rested her chin in her hands "I'd hate to see his reaction to us calling him Shamrock Anything," she groaned.

"Well, to be honest, he is more of a forest green. So maybe we could call him Forrest?" reasoned Kim.

"Like Forrest Gump? Sounds decent to me," said Renee.

Primrose laughed at the exchange "Our arch-nemesis is Forrest Gump?"

"Plot twist of the century, I must say."

The three girls laughed and joked late into the evening. Joyous energy filled Primrose's room, leaving the other three men of the house utterly baffled.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit: I changed Primrose’s nationality to Malaysian.

 

“Well, would you look at this!”

Alfred proudly nodded at the three females standing before him, who all smiled in mutual happiness.

“Kim Lee, Renee Matsuoka,” the man greeted as he gave each girl a handshake “Welcome to the Illuminati.”

Renee chuckled “Never thought I’d be hearing that.”

“Neither did I,” coincided Kim.

Alfred walked over to his chair and picked up a remote that sat on the white cushion “Just lemme offer you three a seat…” he commented, more to himself than the girls.

He clicked a button in each teen’s direction. A chair unfolded behind each girl, causing them to flinch.

Alfred’s face knitted in bemusement for a split second before he laughed “Sorry. I’m so used to the technology here that sometimes I forget that it’s new to others.”

Even Primrose felt her cheeks heat in slight embarrassment. She had sat in the chair before and even saw one unfold behind Alfred when they first met, but this was the first time one had unfolded for her.

The man then tapped a tile on the floor, causing a mini-fridge to rise up before him “Care for a drink?” he asked.

“A water would be nice.”

“Do you have pink lemonade?”

“Orange juice, please.”

After swiping his fingers across a small screen on the top of the fridge, a tumbling noise shook the small appliance. Alfred reached down to open the door and present three bottles of the requests.

“We decided to switch to bottled drinks instead of glasses,” casually remarked the man as the girls gawked in amazement.

Three thank you’s approached the Alfred as the fridge was emptied.

The man reclined a bit in his chair with an even sigh “So how many Muses did you free?”

Primrose shrank slightly as she swallowed her beverage “Ah…one…”

Alfred frowned, but bit back any discontented remarks “I’m guessing Prim, here, has been showing you guys the ropes. Transformations, Music Notes, Musical Identity.”

“Yes.” “Uh-huh.” 

“Well, our Beats Pills pretty much told them everything,” added Primrose.

Alfred nodded “Good. Any problems or questions so far?”

Kim lowered her head with a tired expression on her face “That man,” she murmured.

Alfred furrowed his brow “What man?” he asked.

“We don’t know his name,” answered Renee “We kinda know what he looks like, but his mask makes it a little hard.”

“I first met him trying to take a Music Note on the night I first transformed,” explained Primrose “Then the next times I saw him, he was looking for Kim and Renee…and it would always be when I was near them.”

“Wait, the night you metamorphosed?” Alfred asked, to which the Malaysian nodded “That’s the night I first met you. Prim, why didn’t you say anything?!”

The girl jolted at the sudden accusation “I thought it was normal! I mean, what else would I be doing with these Vocaloid powers?”

“Yeah! Magical girls fight power-hungry villains all the time,” chimed in Renee.

“You may be magical girls, but that doesn’t mean you have any bad guys to face off against,” argued Alfred “Your only responsibility is to free the Muses. Your powers are uses to harmonize with them. Your weapons are used to break their barriers if they can’t be harmonized with.”

Primrose noted how the man specifically looked directly at her when he said these last two sentences.

Alfred scratched at his head “And you said a man is doing all of this?” he asked.

“Yes,” confirmed Kim “He’s tall, has dark brown hair…and is probably white based on his voice and what little features we could see.”

Primrose nodded as Kim listed off the traits “ _Hey, that sounds like_ …”

She then shook her head “ _No way it could be Dexter just based on those two details. How many white guys have dark-brown hair? Their voices don’t even sound the same_.” 

The puzzlement in Alfred’s expression only increased “It doesn’t make any sense. He’s a man, so he’s _definitely_ not a Vocaloid. So how is he involved with the Vocaloid world?”

Renee nervously rubbed her chin “Uhh, he may not be a Vocaloid, but he looks like he’s got some superpowers of his own.”

“What do you mean?” inquired Alfred.

“I mean he was able to wreck that entire mall with his electric powers,” Renee answered.

“Electric powers?” repeated Alfred.

Primrose interjected “And what about the way he left? He made some kind of portal out of thin air!”

“Portal?!” repeated Alfred.

Kim stepped in “And remember the electric net he captured us in? I noticed he has a lot more tools and weapons like that on his belt.”

“Weapons?!” Alfred shook his head as if to frighten away his rising panic “I don’t know what this whack job thinks he’s doing, but he sounds dangerous, especially since it looks like he’s trying to stop you from metamorphosing.”

“You think he wants to stop us from getting our powers?” inquired Kim “How do you figure?”

Alfred regarded Primrose “Prim, you said he first met you on the night you metamorphosed.”

Though not really a question, the Malaysian nodded.

“And then after that, he came just as you were about to meet Renee and Kim for the first time and help _them_ metamorphose,” Alfred continued “Not only does it look like he knows that Vocaloids can activate another Vocaloid’s metamorphosis, but he’s also tracking you girls.”

Kim thought of when she and Primrose got tangled in the masked man’s net seconds before she transformed. Renee thought of when Kim ran to her aid just before she transformed. Primrose gulped as she thought of the night that man visited her in the privacy of her own backyard.

“Are you sure he isn’t…just tracking me?” she asked quietly.

The others looked at her.

“What?” questioned Renee.

The Malaysian held the sides of her arms as if a chill just ran over her “A while ago, the masked man came to my backyard.”

She could feel Kim’s stare on her as she said that.

Alfred jumped on the claim with an immediate “What did he do?”

“Nothing really,” Primrose continued “He just said…” she bit the inside of her cheek, averting her eyes from Kim “That Kim was hiding a secret or something,” she muttered.

The tension in the room grew exponentially with just that one statement.

The usually graceful woman quivered under the attention shifted onto her.

“A secret?” Alfred asked, trying to look at her eyes “Kim, is this true?”

The Korean didn’t respond.

“Wait a sec,” boldly interjected Renee “How do we know this isn’t that masked guy’s trap?”

“Trap?” repeated Kim “You think I’m working with him?”

“No, nuh-uh!” declined Renee “But I think that’s what he’s trying to get us to think. He wants us to be suspicious of each other.”

She then looked at Alfred “You just said that he was trying to stop us from getting our powers, right?” she didn’t even wait for an answer before she turned to Primrose “And Prim, when did the guy say that about Kim? Before or after she transformed?”

“Um, after.”

Renee held her hands in a presenting manner “You see? Now that Kim’s got her powers, he’s trying to make us suspect her. Won’t be long before he does the same to you and I, Prim,” she said “He’s trying to break us up.”

Much to everyone’s surprise, Primrose sighed in relief “Thank god,” she said “I thought I was the only one who assumed he was lying.”

Alfred’s words cut through the air “Assume what you want, but this is still too dangerous to leave alone,” he turned to the Korean woman in question “Kim, I’m afraid that until your name is cleared, you'll be resigned of your Vocaloid powers.”

Renee and Primrose’s exclamations outweighed whatever reaction Kim might have had.

“What?!” and “Alfred!” came at the man at lightening speed. Both of which he responded to with a pair of defensive hands.

“I’m sorry; I don’t like having to do this either,” he sighed “But I genuinely care for you girls and want to protect you, even if that means protecting you from one another.”

Those last words left the girls silent.

There were no more protests.

Alfred’s hand extended towards Kim “I’m sorry,” he repeated “But I have to take your headphones.”

* * *

He watched as the young girl summoned her cerulean headphones and placed them in the man’s hand. The image played on the holographic screen hovering over his lap, the only thing lighting up the dark room.

“The little half-blood is too sharp,” he grumbled “How annoying.”

* * *

“It’s all my fault…”

The teen lied down on her side, half of her face swallowed by her plush pillow and her hair plumed around her.

On the nightstand, her Beats Pill turned to regard her.

“You did the right thing, Prim,” soothed Rhythm.

“It doesn’t feel like it,” she said “I betrayed Kim and made her out to be an enemy. I took that masked man’s word over my own friend’s.”

“I know it’s hard to understand now, but what you did was very responsible and mature of you,” explained Rhythm “We all want to trust those who are close to us, but we have to remember that everyone is human and they have the capability to harm us, too.”

“But—“

“That being said, I don’t believe that Kim is a traitor,” interrupted the bot “That’s why I’m confident that this will all work out in the end.”

Primrose closed her eyes “I really hope you’re right.”

She then opened her eyes again and looked up “Hey, Rhythm, I’ve shown you a picture of Digital Pirate, right?”

“Yes,” confirmed the bot.

Primrose bit her lip “Uh…do you think he looks kinda like, y’know, the mas—“

“Prim, someone’s here to see you!”

Tsuna’s voice called out from downstairs. The teen sat up in bed with a slightly bemused expression.

“ _Someone?_ ” she thought “ _Whenever Kylie comes over, they call her my “weird friend”_.”

Regardless, she slid out of her bed and made her way downstairs. When she entered the foyer, she saw Renee standing at the front door.

The eccentric girl smiled and waved “Hey!” she lilted. Her face then bent in confusion “Huh, did you forget?”

“Forget what?” asked Primrose.

“We're supposed to go scope the town for Music No—“ Renee clamped her lips shut as her eyes darted to Tsuna, who didn’t even bat an eye at their conversation.

“Oh, yeah, yeah!” Primrose said as she waved her hands in front of her “Sorry, I’ll run upstairs and get dressed.”

“Huh? You’re gonna run out again?” questioned Tsuna with a devilish smirk “Weren’t you just out yesterday?”

“Yes…?” the younger sister admitted.

The brunette chuckled “Is it for more of your lame music club?”

Primrose was about to correct him, but instead said “Uh, yeah. Definitely.”

She then turned to retreat up the stairs “Anyway, Renee, I’ll be right there.”

As Primrose ascended, Tsuna turned to Renee “Not gonna lie, you seem pretty cool to be Prim’s friend.”

Renee gave an unsteady smile “Thanks…I think?”

* * *

The two girls walked side by side on the sidewalk. The silence between them was filled by sounds of suburban life around them.

Renee glanced over to Primrose, whose hands were stuffed into her pockets as she watched her feet.

“I know,” sighed Renee “It just doesn’t feel the same without the whole trio here.”

Primrose’s lips wavered “I really feel like I betrayed Kim,” she murmured.

Renee’s eyes widened “You didn’t!” she protested “I mean, yeah, it made Kim look bad, but it was all Forrest’s fault. You were only telling Alfred what he said.”

Primrose lifted her head with a small smile “Did you just say Forrest?” she snickered.

Renee scratched the back of her head with a sheepish smile “Yup. “The masked man” just sounds like a mouthful.”

The Malaysian girl laughed, to which Renee felt proud.

Both girls continued walking through the streets as the sun traveled farther and farther down the sky. Eventually, Renee paused to lean on her knees and give an exhausted breath.

“H-How long does it usually take to find these Notes?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” Primrose breathed, equally tired “I’ve never actually gone on one of these scope-outs before.”

Renee groaned “If I’d known we’d be walking around for hours, I would’ve brought some snacks. I could really go for some McDonald’s right now…”

Primrose rested her hand on her stomach as she was reminded of its emptiness.

“You said that when we get close to a Music Note, our iPods will start glowing?” Renee asked.

“Yeah.”

“Is there any way to speed up the process?”

“Oh, harmonizing!” Primrose piped up as the thought hit her.

Renee stood up “Oh yeah, Alfred mentioned it the other day,” she mused “Didn’t you say that the first time you found a Music Note, you sang to it?”

“Sorta, yes,” timidly admitted Primrose “I was performing at a concert, but I didn’t know that the Music Note was in the same building. Alfred said that it picked up on my singing.”

“But that only removed the barrier, right?” asked Renee “It didn’t help you find it?”

The Malaysian's smile dissolved as she shook her head.

Renee sighed “I feel Sailor Moon had it easy.”

* * *

The hexagonal device in the man’s hand hummed as the green light emitting from it scanned the area. A smile crept on his lips, and he dropped the device. Before hitting the ground, six extensions from each corner propped it up about a meter high. The artificial green light rained downward onto the organic green grass below.

The man casually leaned against a nearby tree trunk as whistled a soft tune.

* * *

Primrose took a long drink from her milkshake, then gave a content sigh after swallowing.

“Didn’t I tell you a little Micky D’s would refresh you?” joked Renee.

“Mmm,” Primrose hummed “Aside from my aching feet, I do feel a lot better.”

Renee looked to the other girl “Ooh! I didn’t think McDonald’s could do _that_ now!”

“Hm?” Primrose followed her friend’s gaze and noticed a glowing light beneath her shirt “What? My iPod?”

The girl reached into her sweatshirt and pulled out the pink iPod, which screen shined brightly in her hand.

Both then looked at Renee’s vest pocket to see that it, too, was glowing. They then exchanged gleeful smiles.

* * *

The masked man leaned over the device as green waves reflected onto his face.

“Almost there…” he hummed as he extended his finger tips towards the forming orb.

“It’s—!“

The masked man whipped his head around at the sound of the shrill gasp. Behind him were the Gold and Rose Vocaloid, the latter of the two clamping her hand over her mouth.

“Hmph, really?” the man groaned before he stood up “You two sure have shitty timing.”

Renee and Primrose summoned their weapons.

“Hand over the Music Note,” demanded the black girl.

The man shrugged “Well since you asked so nicely…no.”

He snapped his fingers as he swung his arm in the direction of the device. A green flicker of electricity darted from his hand and encased the entire device in a cage-like structure of the same color.

The man crossed his arms over each other as green light encompassed them. Silver gauntlets appeared in place.

“I’ll crush you before that happens.”

He propelled himself towards the two girls. Primrose leaped out of the way, but Renee stepped forward and blocked the man’s fist with her bat. Sparks flew from the impact as the two glared at one another.

From her distance, Primrose flung an arrow directly at the man, who turned just in time to deflect it with his other gauntlet.

He pushed away Renee’s bat and ducked as she attempted to swing at him again. While ducked, he punched her in the shin, bringing the girl to her knees.

Another one of Primrose’s arrows managed to hit the man in the back. He growled and turned around. As the Vocaloid began to take aim again, he lunged at her and his fist collided with her stomach.

Primrose fell down with a choke, pulling up her crossbow with a quivering hand.

The masked man chuckled tiredly “I used to think you girls were cute, prancing around acting like you’re the big heroes, but now? Now you’re just starting to piss me off.”

He looked over his shoulder “Especially you, _Hwang Lee_.”

In the distance behind him, Kim leaned over the caged Music Note, her hands hovered just above the bars.

Renee and Primrose both turned to look at her with delighted smiles.

“Kim…!” gasped Renee.

The masked man groaned and thrusted his hands in the direction of the cage.

“Scratch!”

Black ooze suddenly shot out from the center, spreading out in all directions except for his.

Three cries echoed within the forest as the masked man casually stepped back and watched the mayhem unfold.

After the tar-like substance lashed out at the Vocaloids, it then proceeded to slowly swallow them. All three fought back, but like quicksand, the struggle only quickened the process.

“What is this?!” exclaimed Primrose.

“Have you ever scratched a record before? Ah well, you kiddies probably don’t even know what a record is,” the masked man then leaned against a tree “It makes a pretty awful sound. It’s really hard on the ears. Y’know, a sour note.”

The girls’ struggling became more frantic as the substance covered more of their bodies. As Primrose watched the tar climb up her chest, she began to cry out “Help!! Somebody!”

The masked man held his stomach as he laughed “Are you really so pathetic that you’re depending on some passerby to overhear and call the police?” he jeered “And you were all so cocky before.”

He then sighed “It’s kind of a boring end, y’know? We didn’t even get that big, epic revelation about Kim’s little secret. Oops, I mean Hwang’s secret,” the man grinned at the Korean woman “Come on, Hwang, you wouldn’t wanna die knowing you lied to your comrades, would you?”

Kim’s crystal blue eyes wavered over to the other two Vocaloids, whose expressions of despair and fear tugged at her heart. The substance was creeping closer to their faces. Soon, they would be unable to breathe.

“Prim, Renee,” Kim’s voice snatched both girls’ attention “The man…the man is right. I haven’t been honest with you at all. My birth name is Hwang, which is masculine in my language,” she bit her lip “I was not born the same as other girls…”

The masked man snorted “Oh quit beating around the bush already. You’re not a girl at all!”

Shadows cast over Kim’s eyes as she hung her head down in shame.

“Just because you changed your name and put on some heels doesn’t make you a girl. Stop embarrassing yourself.”

“Don’t…don’t talk to her that way!” Primrose suddenly shouted “No matter how she was born, Kim is still a woman in her heart. That makes her just as female as us!”

“That’s right! She’s still a magical girl,” affirmed Renee “A magical transgirl! And that’s something to be proud of.”

“ _A magical…girl. A magical transgirl_ …” Kim thought “ _They’re right. I’m still a magical girl, and more importantly_ …”

“I am…” she murmured “A Vocaloid…!”

As she said that last word, cerulean headphones appeared over Kim’s ears. Her clothes glowed bright white before the blade of a sword slashed through the thick tar cocooning her body.

Once freed from the thick substance, Kim’s full Vocaloid attire was now exposed in its full form.

The masked man gasped.

The Cerulean Vocaloid leaped up to Primrose and cut her free. She then quickly did the same to Renee.

When Primrose found her footing away from the tar, she aimed her arrow at the cage where it all oozed from.

Once the arrow hit its target, green static crackled, and all of the tar vanished.

The device holding the Music Note clattered to the ground, all traces of its green light gone. The Music Note floated above as it glowed brighter and brighter. Finally, it dispersed into shimmering light and blew away with the wind.

“I…I freed it?” breathed Primrose “I freed the Muse inside?”

Renee stretched her arms above head “I knew we had it under control,” she bragged.

The masked man grunted and turned to walk away, but Primrose’s gaze caught him.

“Hold it!” she barked “Just who the heck are you?”

The man came to a sudden stop, then turned to look over his shoulder towards her “Who am I? What, are you sick of just calling me the masked man?” he asked.

He then turned his body halfway “I’ll admit, that is pretty lame. I know, how about I give you a name you’re familiar with,” he pointed at Primrose “Pinky, if I recall, you thought I looked hauntingly similar to a little celebrity crush of yours. Digital Pirate, was it?”

Primrose’s blood ran cold in her veins.

“I can see the resemblance,” continued the man “So why don’t you nickname me Digit? Don’tcha think it’s appropriate?”


	11. Chapter 11

“I was wondering where those headphones went,” Alfred rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly “Looks like I owe you a huge apology.”

He was sitting in front of the three Vocaloids, Kim being in the center where his attention was directed. Her cerulean headphones rested in her hands as she and the other girls had just finished explaining their story.

“Me too,” Primrose leaned over to regard Kim “I’m sorry that guy outed you like that. Something like that should be up to you to tell.”

Before Kim could speak, Renee jumped in “I’m sorry, too,” she said with an uncomfortable expression “I probably made it worse by saying that you were a magical transgirl. I-I didn’t mean to make you feel excluded or anything. I just…like, was trying to make you to feel confident in…who you are…and I guess I wasn’t sure how else to say it…”

An endearing smile pressed on Kim’s lips “You did, Renee. Hearing you say that helped me come to terms with my identity,” she said “You were right; not being a cis woman does not make me any less of a woman.”

Renee grinned widely and nodded “Thank god! That’s exactly what I wanted.”

“And Prim,” Kim addressed as she she to the Malaysian “What that man did is, in no way, your responsibility. It just proves that, well, he’s been doing a little snooping…”

“Which means the team and I need to do a little snooping of our own,” said Alfred, stroking his chin in thought.

“What do you want us to do, Alfred?” questioned Primrose.

The man fixed her with a knowing stare “Catch up on your Music Note quota.”

Primrose’s expression sank into disappointment.

“But what do we do about the Scratches?” inquired Kim.

Alfred scratched at his hair “It’s hard to say since this came out of nowhere. This guy is definitely a bigger threat than we thought,” he mused “If they reach the public and someone gets hurt, then we’ll really have a problem on our hands.”

The man placed his hands on his hips “We’ll tell the police to tighten up and be on the lookout. In case we need you, we’ll tell your teachers and employers to give you passes to leave.”

All three girls expressed their own surprise.

“You can do that?” gasped Primrose “You have  _that_  much authority?”

Alfred nodded “The Illuminati’s job is to make sure Vocaloids can perform to the best of their abilities. You can’t do that if you have to choose between keeping your job and keeping Harmony,” he explained “Plus, asking your teachers everyday to be excused from class would draw a lot of unnecessary attention and conflict.”

“That’s true,” Renee agreed, crossing her arms “The whole teenager-living-a-double-life trope always seemed unrealistic to me anyway.”

Alfred continued as if she hadn’t spoken “Your schools will let you make appointments to catch up on your studies. You’d really be in hot water if you had to repeat a year.”

Unease shadowed Kim’s face “You’re not…going tell our employers that we’re Vocaloids, are you?”

“No, at the most, they’ll think you’re doing community service,” explained Alfred “But you know who you should tell?”

“Who?” asked Renee.

“Your family,” Alfred answered with a smile “They’re your main source of support, after all.”

Kim chuckled softly “I’m sure my aunt will be very surprised to see my transformation.”

“Ooh, I can just imagine the look on my dads’ faces when they see me in my gold threads,” Renee said with a clap of her hands.

Kim’s eyes bounced in surprise “Oh, you have two fathers?”

Renee nodded “Sure do.”

The Korean woman smiled “That’s beautiful, Renee,” she noted.

While the two girls shared a cheerful exchange, Primrose remained quiet.

The Malaysian was chewing on her lip as she idly observed the scene before her. Meanwhile, her mind was on another plane.

“ _Dad, Tsuna, Taiki_ …” each male’s face passed through her mind with their names “ _To them, I’m just someone who lives in their house. Would they even care if I was a Vocaloid?_ ”

* * *

Brianna closed the dark wood door behind her. She lifted the black hood from her scarlet hair as her garbs reverted back to her daytime attire. Her hand reached for the light switch beside her, illuminating the foyer of her home.

A male voice called out “Brianna? Is that you?”

“Yeah, Dad!” replied the teen.

Brianna then proceeded to make her way towards the kitchen.

“Hey, if you’re not going to be in the foyer, be sure to turn the light off!”

Without missing a beat, the girl flicked off the switch as she left the room “Got it!”

“Thanks!”

Brianna opened the freezer upon entering the kitchen “No problem,” she replied in a voice too quiet for her father to hear.

After finding a frozen dinner, she placed it in the microwave and typed in the appropriate digits.

Upstairs, Lyric appeared on Brianna’s bed in a flash of red light. The bot folded his small arms behind his head with a relaxed sigh. He could hear his owner’s footsteps sluggishly venture from the kitchen, up the stairs, and towards the bedroom.

Lyric lifted his head “Microwave lasagna again?” he asked.

“Yup,” affirmed the youth as she settled on the bed “They never put enough salt on these things.”

Lyric lazily closed his eyes “We were out for a long time, eh? Your Oldies didn’t chew your ass out for coming in late?”

Brianna looked back at the Beats Pill “My parents don’t really care how long I stay out.”

“Awesome,” Lyric declared.

Despite the bot saying that, a wave of gloom swam over Brianna. She gave a small sigh and turned her gaze to lap, dismissing the small emotion.

* * *

“ _I’m sorry, girls, but I’m afraid I can’t visit today. I have a piano recital._ ”

Kim’s rushed voice filtered through the speaker of Primrose’s phone. She and Renee listened to their friend fumble around on the other line.

“You don’t need to apologize, Kim! Heck, it looks like  _we_  were the ones who caught you had a bad time,” said Primrose.

The sound of the Korean giving a grunt and sigh came in response “ _Now that the packing’s done_ …” she murmured “ _Oh, but thank you for the invite! I’d love to meet both of your families some day_.”

Primrose fell silent as Renee replied with a “No problem, girl. Where I come from, friends are part of the family. You’re always welcome here.”

Primrose kept her silence behind a stiff smile as the other two girls concluded their conversation and hung up.

Renee stood up from the porch step, prompting Primrose to pocket the cellphone and do the same.

The afro-haired girl opened the door with a gratuitous “We’re home!”

A man carrying a laundry basket halted in his tracks upon the girls’ arrival.

“Hey kiddo,” he greeted as he set the basket aside.

The man was just barely a few inches taller than the two girls. His eyes were calm and his lips rested in a relaxed grin. His tight black curls were shaven cleanly into a modest mohawk, intricate designs lining the sides. A pair of diamonds also glinted in his ears. However, the blue hoodie over his husky body gave him a more comforting appearance.

He and Renee embraced in an open-armed hug flowing with warmth.

When separated, the girl said “Dad, this is Primrose. Prim…well you know already.”

“It’s nice to meet you Mr. Matsuoka,” the Malaysian greeted.

“Same to you, sister,” he said “By the way, you can call me Mr. Santana if you want. Matsuoka is only this child’s surname.” He said this tapping on Renee’s nose.

“Really?” Primrose inquired.

Renee shrugged “Adoption plus same-sex parents usually means funny naming,” she chuckled.

“Speaking of which, your papa left to go grab some more cheese,” Santana reached down to pick up the laundry basket again “So you know he won’t be back for a while.”

Renee rolled her eyes “Oh boy, him and his recipes…” she beckoned Primrose “Well, let’s go upstairs.”

* * *

Renee’s other father arrived soon after the girls made themselves comfortable, his lively Boston accent reaching up to them as he engaged in a humorous exchange with his husband downstairs.

“So when are you going to tell them?” Primrose asked.

Renee leaned back against her pillows “Later tonight when everything’s chill. Wouldn’t wanna blow their wigs off when they’re not ready and comfortable yet.”

She put on a serious expression and dropped her voice “Guys, you may wanna sit down for this…” she narrated “Then I just whip out the headphones and transform right in the living room,” she joked.

Primrose laughed “They wouldn’t have room to argue, then!”

After their chuckling subsided, Renee spoke up again “Hey lemme let you in on a little secret,” she lilted mischievously “My dad’s real last name isn’t Santana. It’s Lewis.”

“Huh? Lewis?”

“Yeah, he’s been trying to get people to call him by his first name so he doesn’t feel old,” explained Renee “But he still wants to be called “Mister” as a sign of respect.”

Primrose shrugged “I guess can understand that,” she said “So what should I call your papa?”

“ _He’s_  still Mr. Lewis,” answered Renee “He thinks putting your first name after a title like that is dumb. We had a whole debate about it once.”

Judging by the girl’s tone, Primrose could tell that it was a comical debate. With how light-hearted the family seemed to be, she wasn’t so surprised.

* * *

The girls spent the next few hours conversing and exploring Renee’s room. Many items inside inspired a new topic for conversation, one being a Deadpool plush toy that Primrose couldn’t help but coddle, and another being a Nicki Minaj poster.

“I love Nicki Minaj,” said Primrose “I mean, I’ve only heard a handful of her songs, but I love what I’ve heard so far,” she chuckled.

“Oh!” Renee perked up “In the vision, didn’t you say I was singing one of her songs? Which one was it?”

“Huh? Oh, you mean at the mall. Well, you weren’t actually singing it. It was just playing in the background,” the Malaysian drummed her fingers on the plushy toy’s head in thought “Uh…something about a “Lil Wayne record” and…oh, how did it go…?” Primrose then said “The only lyric I remember is “I’m good with the ballpoint game, finger roll—“

Just then, the afro-haired girl grinned.

“Ask me how to do it, I don’t tell a single soul,” she rapped in tune with Primrose, then clapped her hands in amusement “Ooh, it was “Truffle Butter”! I love that song,” she then murmured “Uhm, don’t look up truffle butter on Urban Dictionary.”

Renee rested her hands on her hips “It makes sense that that’d be playing in my vision,” she declared “Something about hiphop and rap, it just brings life to the party. I know that mainstream rap has a pretty bad reputation, but at its heart, it holds a lot of meaning.”

Primrose resisted the urge to frown at the sound of the word “mainstream”. She had gotten so used to seeing it used as an insult on the Digital Pirate webpage that even hearing it had her geared and ready for an artist to be berated and mocked.

“I never thought of it that way,” she instead said.

“That’s what I wanna bring out in the rap game,” Renee, waved her hands in a narrative manner “Get rid of all this talk about guns and drugs, and using degrading language towards ourselves. I wanna hear more rap songs about success through trials like Logic. I wanna hear more female rappers like Nicki owning their sexuality. More dreamy love raps like the ones from Drake. Raps about staying loyal to your roots and your friends like—“

Renee stopped herself, looking almost disappointed “My bad, I just went on a speech out of nowhere.”

“No, I think you’re right!” Primrose defended, genuinely impressed by the girl’s words “I’ve never paid much attention to rap music, but you clearly have more than others. You see the good in it and you want people to recognize that. You want to show that hiphop and rap isn’t one-dimensional.”

Renee looked at the girl “Ye-Yeah…you understand,” she said “When rappers first started rapping about drugs and violence, people were quick to glamorize it to look edgy and badass. Even with new rappers, some people still wanna cling onto that image,” she shook her head “If only they knew how hurtful that image is, not just to hiphop fans, but to…”

The girl paused, unable to get the words out.

“Renee,” addressed Primrose “People like you can make a big difference in the music world,” she smiled “That must be why you’re a Vocaloid.”

Primrose thought she imagined it, but she could have sworn she had seen the faint tinge of red flooding Renee’s cheeks as she turned her head slightly.

“Thanks Prim…” the girl said in a soft voice “That’s…that’s really nice of you to say.”

Suddenly, Mr. Lewis’ voice called to the girls from below “Dinner’s ready!”

Primrose stood up from the bed “I guess I should head home then,” she said.

“Huh? Why?” questioned Renee “C’mon, you’re our guest.”

Primrose halted her steps “Wait, really?”

“Heck yeah!” affirmed Renee, stepping off of her bed “Besides, we need someone to help finish up that lasagna. Papa’s used to cooking for all his siblings, not just us.”

“So you don’t want to end up with too many leftovers?” Primrose snickered.

Renee shrugged “I love my Papa’s cooking, but a week of lasagna for dinner is overkill.”

* * *

Primrose sighed as she entered her house “I’m home!” she declared.

To the girl’s surprise, she found her father sitting in the foyer, his arms crossed over his chest in disapproval.

“Do you have any idea what time it is?” he scoffed.

Primrose shrugged “Sorry, I called you and said that I was staying over Renee’s for dinner,” she said, hints of a grin still present on her lips “I guess the dinner lasted longer than I expected.”

“It’s almost eight; you’ve been gone for nearly the entire day,” coldly scolded the father.

“Well, I told you that I had to go to a club meeting earlier, then Renee invited me to her place,” said Primrose “You were fine with it when I told you where I was going.”

Still, that didn’t seem to shift the man’s attitude.

“You’ve been out of the house way too often for my liking, Primrose,” he said “Aside from school, you should not have a reason to be gone for so long.”

Primrose’s face stiffened “Oh? And what about the Digital Pirate club? That’s like a job to me,” argued the girl “What are you gonna do when I actually do get a job?”

The man shot an annoyed side glare “Don’t compare a music club to a job. You have actual responsibilities to tend to.”

“What? Cleaning up after you and the boys?” Heat gripped the father’s being, but Primrose hadn’t noticed “I might as well call them boys since they can’t take care of themselves without me.”

Her father jumped to his feet, saying “You’re supposed to take care of this family.”

“Me? I’m the child! The youngest child!” Primrose exclaimed “You guys are the ones who are supposed to be helping me out. Do you think just because Mom isn’t here, I’m supposed to take care of all the cooking and cleaning?!”

“That’s enough!” the man’s violent shout shook the girl to her core. All anger had been banished from her eyes and replaced with fear.

“If you insist on acting like a child then by all means, let me treat you like one,” he thrust a finger towards the staircase behind Primrose, flicking some of her black hair over her shoulder in the process “Go to your room. You’re grounded.”

Moisture formed in the corners of the girl’s widened eyes, but it vanished as she grit her teeth and fixed her father with an angry glare.

Regardless, Primrose turned around and marched up into the dark hallway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before anyone does it, truffle butter is an expensive condiment used for steak. Like caviar and other expensive food, it’s seen as a sign of wealth. But Urban Dictionary uses it as a nickname for a really dirty sexual act, as it does with pretty much any normal word.


	12. Chapter 12

No computer.

No hanging out.

No Digital Pirate club.

That was the punishment she got for scolding her father.

Primrose was no fool. If anyone lashed out at their parent the way she did, there was no doubt they’d be punished. She was just thankful he didn’t take away her cell phone privileges.

“I really hate to lump this on you, Kim, but I got grounded and I’m not allowed to leave for anything other than errands and school,” Primrose said.

“ _Oh dear…well, don’t worry. Renee and I will be able to cover for you,_ ” replied the woman “ _How long are you grounded for exactly?_ ”

Primrose sighed “I don’t know; I’m afraid to ask.”

She tiredly dragged her hand across her face “I’m not even a hundred percent sure if I’m allowed to be on the phone right now.”

“ _Well in that case, I do not recommend pushing the limits of your punishment like this,_ ” warned Kim “ _Just remember that it’s only temporary and it will all be over soon._ ”

“Thanks, Kim,” Primrose said “Good luck out there, and stay safe.”

* * *

After giving their final goodbyes, the teen clicked her phone off and set it down on the table next to her lunch.

“Any plans for today?” a heavyset woman seated herself across the glass table from Kim, her own plate of food in her hands.

“I cannot say for sure,” replied Kim “Renee and I might scout around the city for more Music Notes.”

“Would you like me to drive you girls around?” offered the other woman, leaning in eagerly.

An unsure expression rested on Kim’s features “I…do not particularly like the idea of you being near the Music Notes, Aunt Min-ji. They tend to attract a lot of danger.”

“Well, I could be there to call the police if things get too crazy,” urged the aunt.

“I’m afraid that as long as the police are human, they are easy victims, too,” Kim sighed “I really appreciate your support, but this is strictly a job for Vocaloid power.”

The aunt shrugged with a sad smile “Promise to stay safe out there, honey.”

Kim returned the smile “I promise, Auntie.”

The teen reached for her cell phone again and dialed a different number. She brushed away her short hair before bringing it to her ear.

“ _Hello?_ ” responded a familiar female voice.

“Hello Renee, how are you?” greeted Kim.

The voice on the other end leaped with slight surprise “ _K-Kim! Oh hey, girl! I’m doing great, how’re you?_ ”

“Splendid,” replied the Korean teen “I was just calling to see if you’d like to go looking for Music Notes today.”

“ _Yeah, sure!_ ” said Renee “ _What time works for you?_ ”

Kim’s eyes wandered over to the crystal clock on the wall adjacent to her “Well, I’m just finishing up lunch, so I should be done around twelve-fifty.”

“ _Cool, how about Prim?_ ” questioned Renee.

“She is not coming. It will just be the two of us, today.”

Renee cleared her throat nervously “ _J-Just the two of us?_ ”

“Yes, Prim, er, has some family business to attend to,” Kim bluffed, not feeling confident about disclosing such undignified information, herself “She will be unavailable for a few days or more, so we must handle the Music Notes ourselves.”

“ _Oh, oh, I get it_ ,” Renee gave a short sigh “ _Well, I’ll get dressed. Gimme about fifteen minutes. I’ll text you my address_.”

“Sure thing! I’ll see you soon,” and with that, Kim hung up.

* * *

Within the minimalistic room, six of the seven members of the Digital Pirate club resided in a sleek, L-shaped couch. Bags of takeout food sat on the coffee table before them. The atmosphere was lackadaisical, but the papers in Ramona and Dexter’s hands showed that the meeting still held some business purposes.

“Has anyone seen Primrose?” questioned Calum as he hesitantly eyed the remaining food on the table “I don’t want to eat all of the food before she gets here.”

“I haven’t seen her since our first concert,” replied Jacob with the same level of concern “Is she out sick?”

Dexter snorted “Out sick for three weeks? I doubt it.”

Calum looked over to Kylie, who sat awkwardly among the adults “Kylie, you said you’re her neighbor, right? Have you heard anything from her?”

The bespectacled female unsurely wiped her chin clean “W-Well, I mean, I’ve seen her drive by in her brother’s Vespa—“

“Tch, so she’s just playing hooky so she doesn’t have to do the handiwork?” cut in Yuzuki “She’s getting paid for this, y’know.”

“Maybe she’s just bus—“

But again, Yuzuki’s higher pitched voice dominated Kylie’s lower one “She’s really not doing herself any favors not showing up. After that blunder at the first concert, she could’ve easily made it up to Digit by helping out at these meetings. I mean, that really was a bad first impression.”

Kylie pressed her lips together in a slight frown “She might be embarrass—“

“It’s okay,” this time, Ramona interjected with her calm voice “This isn’t a school class; it’s not like we’re taking attendance.”

Kylie felt herself smile as Yuzuki crossed her arms judgmentally across her petite frame.

Ramona then smirked “Besides, I’d say the club has been running pretty smoothly without her company.”

Yuzuki’s displeased expression borrowed Kylie’s smile as she snickered in agreement.

Kylie took another bite of her burger and kept her silence.

* * *

“Should we park here?”

“Yeah, seems like a good spot.”

Kim smoothly glided the car up to the curb, and properly adjusted the gear shift.

The two teenagers stepped out of the car once it was stationary and then migrated onto the sidewalk.

“So, how exactly did you and Prim conduct your search?” asked Kim.

“We just walked around until our iPods started glowing,” blatantly stated Renee “At least we were able to cut out some of the walking with your car,” she chuckled.

Kim’s eyes glinted as she came to a realization “Ah, so that’s what happened!” she gasped “My iPod started glowing when I was driving to violin practice the other day.”

Renee’s eyes also lit up “You mean the day you saved us?”

Kim palmed her cheek as her face warmed “‘Saved’ is…a strong word.”

“Girl, we would’ve been toast without you!” beamed Renee “You should’ve seen yourself, the way you were swinging around that sword like Utena, and…“

The girl’s excited praise was dwindled by a man’s approach.

He was an ordinary-looking passerby with a highly intrigued expression “Excuse me, can I just ask you a quick question?” he implored.

Renee greeted him with a friendly grin “Sure.”

The man gave a somewhat cheeky laugh and briefly glanced over his shoulder at two other men who seemed to have their attention fixed on the interaction.

“My friends and I couldn’t help but notice how _exotic_ you look, y’know,” the man started “And we were just wondering where you’re from.”

Renee’s smile vanished and her confident stance wilted slightly “Uh…Melancholy, born and raised,” she awkwardly lilted.

The man shook his head “No, I mean where are you really from?”

Renee shrugged and twiddled her fingers, fumbling for an answer “That’s…uh…”

In that moment, Kim took hold of the girl’s fidgeting hand.

“We have to go,” she then swiftly walked them away.

The man called behind them “Hey, wait a minute! What’s the matter?”

Renee allowed herself to be carried away, giving a sigh of relief “Saved me again,” she chimed.

Kim gave an apologetic smile “It’s okay. You did not have to answer him.”

Renee sighed again “I know, I’m bad in those situations.”

The two had gotten far away enough from the man to walk at a normal pace, side by side now. Their hands were still intertwined.

“I see,” said Kim “I just do not want you to have to tolerate that kind of ignorance.”

“Hey, it’s fine, really!” reassured Renee “It doesn’t bother me. It’s awkward, but it’s not like he just ran up to me and called me the n-word or anything.”

Kim parted her lips to speak, but nothing came out.

“Seriously, it’s cool. Let’s get this Music Note!” Renee put a skip in her step, pulling Kim forward with her.

* * *

After exploring the more secluded areas of the neighborhood, Renee and Kim returned to the streets with the intent to drive to a new area.

“I have to admit that I’m relieved our iPods did not glow near any of those stores,” said Kim “It would be very unfortunate if we had to transform and release the Muse without anyone noticing.”

“True,” cosigned Renee.

Both girls’ steps began to slow down as they unsurely walked out into the sidewalk.

“Renee?” Kim inquired “Do you…remember where we parked the car?”

The other girl’s wide-eyed stare gave the response.

* * *

“I wish there was, like, a manual for being a Vocaloid,” Renee groaned.

The two females had been attempting to retrace their steps for the past half hour. However, even looking at the street signs didn’t help them since they weren’t paying attention to them before they started their search. They may as well be looking at gibberish for all it was worth.

“Do those magical girl anime not help?” questioned Kim.

Renee shook her head “So far, no. Not even superhero comics have given me any clue how to do this, and they’re the closest to reality.”

Kim hummed inquisitively “Perhaps you could look for other pieces of media. Lately, I have been watching videos on sword-fighting, fencing in particular.”

“Ooh, that’s a good idea! Maybe we could try training at a gym, somewhere, or watching combat videos?”

“I don’t think we would need to do that. I noticed that in our Vocaloid forms, we seem to have an ideal fitness level and reflexes.”

Renee chuckled “I thought you were just a low-key gymnast, the way you were jumping around that day.”

Suddenly, the girl stopped Kim with a gasp “Hey, it’s that bank from earlier!” she said, pointing up to a stout building.

“Thank goodness. This means we’re getting close,” Kim’s figure slouched slightly in relief “Let’s take a break first before we keep going.”

“A-greed,” Renee sang as she confidently pulled open the door for the other.

The two teens waltzed into the mundane building, greeting the friendly bank teller at the counter. However, that bank teller’s friendly disposition melted into annoyance upon making eye contact with Renee. His waving palm even closed when he met her smile.

Noticing this, Kim worriedly murmured “Does he know you?”

Renee shook her head “He’s probably had to deal with bratty kids in his bank, lately.”

Though, neither girls believed that. His scowl was for Renee, and Renee only.

The girls sat down in the chairs lining the wall. After a few minutes of silent resting, Kim’s phone rang.

“Hello, Auntie?…Yes, we are still looking. We got a little lost along the way and—no, no! We don’t need you to pick us up…”

Kim continued to talk as Renee reclined in her seat, crossing her arms behind her head.

Beside the girl, a woman bounced her baby in her lap, trying to ease its minute whining before it could escalate into anything too disruptive. Tired, the woman rested the infant over her shoulder and leaned to the side to dig into her purse, which overflowed with baby-related objects.

From the new view, the baby looked up at Renee with teary eyes. The teen smiled in pure enchantment.

“Aww, hi there, cutie!” she cooed.

Renee outstretched her fingers, but as soon as the baby reached out to grasp one of them, the mother shifted the baby into her other arm and brought a bottle to its lips.

“She’s really pretty,” admired Renee.

The mother turned to her with a narrow gaze “He’s a boy,” she quipped.

“Oh sorry, my bad,” Renee’s response came through a nervous laugh and was met with empty air.

Kim gave one last sweet goodbye to her aunt and hung up the phone. She then turned to snubbed girl beside her and asked “Would you like to rest a little bit longer?”

“No,” Renee lifted her voice up to a more chipper tone “Let’s go find your car.”

* * *

The hexagonal device in the man’s hand hummed as the green light emitting from it scanned the docile field around him. He then let the device drop from his grasp. Before hitting the ground, six extensions from each corner propped it up about a meter high. The artificial green light shined through the beige wheat stalks around it.

“Hey! What do you think you’re doing?!”

The masked man’s breath hitched as an accusatory shout was directed towards him. Through his concealed eyes, he turned and looked at the farmer stomping closer to him.

The masked man gave a grunt and snapped his fingers at the device, encasing it in an electric green cage. This only seemed to infuriate the farmer even more.

“Goddammit, don’t go messing around with my crops!” he scolded “Whatever you’re doing, just—“

The farmer reached out to grab the caged device. He didn’t know what it was, but he knew its electricity was a definite fire hazard.

“No wait, don’t—!”

The masked man tried to stop the farmer from putting his hand on the device, but he was too late.

* * *

Kim and Renee rushed out of the car, their pockets blinking as the iPods within them responded to the nearby activity.

“Ooh, we got it!” Renee squealed as they excitedly ran into the field like young kids in a candy store.

“These wheat stalks are so tall,” huffed Kim “Perhaps we should try to harmonize with it now to find it.”

Both girls stopped, panting from their energetic run.

“Y-You mean sing?” stammered Renee “What do you wanna sing?”

“Do you know—“ Kim’s question was cut short as a pulse ran through the ground below their feet.

Looking up, the teenagers saw a pale green puff of smoke in the distance blowing the nearby wheat, revealing a familiar figure.

The masked man groaned as he picked himself up and brushed debris from his green attire.

“Ugh, thank god that guy didn’t manage to break the Note Locater…” he grumbled.

Upon doing so, he caught sight of Kim and Renee’s shocked expressions.

“Tch, seriously? You guys are persistent,” he snorted as if he had just seen an insect “Hey, where’s Pinky?”

Kim lifted her nose in a dignified manner “It’s just us today,” she pulled up her Butterflyphones “Come on, Renee.”

“Gotcha!”

Vibrant hues of gold and cerulean swirled around in the field showing glimpses of the  females transforming into their ethereal forms.

The sight only lasted mere seconds, but the masked man saw that he didn’t have to prepare himself.

“Scratch!”

As soon as the Vocaloids planted their feet back onto the ground, the dirt began to pulsate once more, this time with much more vigor.

The tiny roots of the wheat stalks grew into thick ropes that coiled and burrowed through the soil. When they reached the Vocaloids, the two leaped high into the air.

Renee swung her bat at every root that reached up to grab her, smacking them with a harsh “crunch” as the rhinestones of her bat tore at the plant fibers.

Kim slashed through the roots with the smoothness of a knife through butter. She punctured one root in particular and propelled herself backward when she used her foot to pull the sword out.

The two girls’ movements contrasted one another. Kim’s movements were gracefully orchestrated and fluid in motion, whereas Renee’s were spontaneous and used her entire body with every strike.

When the two Vocaloids returned to the ground, shreds of ordinary wheat stalks lied in a wide crater around them. However, more mutated roots began to rise around them.

Renee’s eyes widened as she gawked at the sight “There’s so many of them…!”

“This entire field…” Kim breathed “It has been infected by the Scratched Note…”

“How big is this field?” squeaked Renee.

Kim shook her head “It doesn’t matter,” she prepared to jump again “We have to keep fighting.”

Renee followed the girl into the wild roots.

Meanwhile, the masked man grunted in pain as he slowly forced his hand through the electric cage surrounding the Music Note. His teeth grit together as he gripped the grasping hand with his free one.

“Gah!” he shouted as the cage bounced him back with a bright spark.

Smoke emitted from his charred leather glove and jacket sleeve.

He looked at his hand and sighed “Nothing’s ever easy, is it?” he muttered “I’ve agitated this Music Note too much for it to go quietly. It still wants to fight back.”

The masked man looked up at the dynamic Vocaloids “ _She was able to release it with a single blow, so why can’t I…?_ ” he thought as he remembered Primrose shooting the Music Note with her arrow.

He then smirked and ran out towards the Golden Vocaloid.

Kim turned around a moment too late “Renee, look out!”

The masked man charged into the black girl’s back, who caught herself on her hands and pushed herself back onto her feet in an impromptu cartwheel.

“Don’t worry about me, Kim. I got this,” Renee declared with a challenging grin in the masked man’s direction “You take care of the wheat monster.”

Kim wordlessly obliged.

The masked man scoffed “What makes you think you’re any match for me? You can hardly keep up with your friend over there.”

“Looks like you need to get your eyes checked, cuz we were both kicking tail back there!” the girl laughed “Show me what you got, son.”

The two began to spar, Renee’s bat blocking the man’s punches, and the man’s gauntlets blocking Renee’s swings.

The girl gasped in surprise when the masked man opened his fists and grabbed her bat when she swung. However, she pushed herself up and kicked him in the chest. After landing enough hits, she was eventually able to loosen his grip and snatch her bat back.

The masked man held his chest “Obnoxious little half-blood, acting all high and mighty.”

That’s when the confidence in Renee’s face wavered “H-half-blood?” she questioned.

The man sneered at the softness of the girl’s voice, then took the opening to punch her in the side.

Renee reared back, trying to catch herself before she could fall.

“Come on, _I’m_ not even a Vocaloid and I know this,” taunted the masked man as she groaned in pain “You’re telling me you don’t know?”

He tried to land another punch, but Renee clumsily managed to block him with her bat.

“Don’t know what?” she asked, her voice quivering.

“Haven’t you ever wondered why your Vocaloid friends are Asian? I’ll give you a hint: It’s not because Melancholy is a Eurasian area.”

Renee’s eyes widened.

“The first Vocaloid was Japanese, and every Vocaloid after her was of Asian heritage, nothing else,” the man pushed against her bat “Don’t you get it? That’s why you’re a half-breed! You’ll only ever be half the Vocaloid you could be.”

The girl’s gaze shook with pain, but then a fire ignited beneath her irises.

“No…I don’t wanna hear it anymore!” Renee pushed against the man with her bat “Half this, half that. What does it matter?! I’m not some weird animal for you to classify!”

Renee snatched her bat from the masked man’s grip “Don’t try to tell me my what I am. I’m me, Renee Matsuoka, and you don’t get to define me!”

She swung her bat once, creating a golden gust of wind that circulated across the entire field. In the distance, Kim shielded her eyes as the brightness disintegrated all of the monstrous roots within the field. All that was left was a flat plain.

Renee halted, her previous frustration cooled down by the shock and surprise of what just occurred. She ogled the twinkling bat in her hands with amazement.

The masked man took the opportunity to turn and head towards the Music Note, but before he could even complete his turnaround, a dancing light caught his eye.

It was the Music Note.

The ball of light flew high over his head and landed gently in Renee’s hand. She blinked as her tears sparkled in the reflection of the light, and held the Note to her bosom. The Music Note then dispersed into a flurry of sparkles with a pop as her remaining tears slid down her cheeks.

The masked man hissed “What? Even then…?”

Kim ran up to Renee, who happily cheered “Kim! I-I did it! I freed the Muse!”

“You did amazing, Renee,” admired the taller female as she placed an encouraging hand on the other’s shoulders.

Both Vocaloids then looked at the dumbfounded masked man.

Renee placed her hands on her hips “Nothing left for you to do but run home, huh Scratch?”

Even beneath the mask, it was clear that the man furrowed his brow “What? “Scratch”? You’re calling me “Scratch”?” he shook his head in disbelief “That’s just ridiculous. I told you to call me “Digit”, like your buddy’s little celebrity crush.”

Kim smiled “It doesn’t feel so good being defined by others, does it?”

The male opened his mouth to respond, but closed it in silence.

With an irate scoff, Scratch turned his shoulder and created a portal for him to make his exit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Renee was referencing Revolutionary Girl Utena. I haven’t watched it yet, but I know that the main protagonist is a magical girl wielding a sword.


End file.
